Cet article est aussi disponible en français [➦].

Translated by Florence Bois-Villeneuve.

As an organization dedicated to the fight for sexual rights and sexual health, Les 3 sex* denounces the violations against human rights, and specifically sexual rights, perpetrated in Gaza and Palestine. 

Notably:

• Sexual violence
• Obstetric violence
• Violence against women
• Violence against gender and sexually diverse people
• Violations against reproductive rights and reproductive justice
• Violations against the rights to equality and dignity
• Violations against the rights to inclusion and security of person
• Violations against the rights to education and access to information

According to Amnesty International, and in accordance with international law¹, the full siege of Gaza by the Israeli army since October constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity. Local authorities report that Israeli attacks have caused the deaths of over 15,000 Palestinians since October 7 (Al Jazeera, 2023).

The blockade of Gaza, which began in 2007², has been tightened since October. It notably prevents the supply of food, water, medicine and fuel, generating what multiple human rights organizations describe as an “open-air prison” (Human Rights Watch, 2022). Such resources are essential to the health and survival of the people of Gaza. In addition, a number of media outlets report that Israeli strikes have severely damaged hospitals, schools and places of worship. 

Right now, approximately 50,000 pregnant people in Gaza are at risk of giving birth in precarious conditions, some of them without anesthesia or the necessary equipment. This leaves them in a situation of extreme vulnerability, while the number of accessible hospitals and health services continues to decline (World Health Organization, 2023). According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies, approximately 180 people per day are currently giving birth in Gaza without adequate care, including undergoing caesareans without painkillers (The Guardian, 2023).

In addition, it is necessary to denounce the increasingly virulent propaganda, based on pinkwashing³, aiming to “legitimize” Israel’s violence and military response in Gaza and Palestine. This includes the proliferation of pro-military discourses that celebrate the Israeli occupation as a victory for gender and sexually diverse people (The Conversation, 2023). 

Finally, it is necessary to remember that women as well as gender and sexually diverse people are often the first victims of war violence, and especially of sexual violence (The gender security project, 2020). 

Therefore, we believe that a ceasefire is not only necessary and indispensable, but also an absolute minimum. In this sense, Israel, Canada and the international community must take immediate action to protect and uphold the human rights, including the sexual rights, of all Gazan and Palestinian people. 

***

¹ Evoking the principles of self-defence or countermeasure to justify the occupation of a territory or to punish a people is not legal under international law, and specifically under the Fourth Geneva Convention (Convention (IV) of Geneva relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Geneva, 12 August 1949, RO 1951 302, 0.518.51.1949). A blockade, in order for it to comply with international law, must respect the criteria of necessity and proportionality. The blockade on Gaza does not meet the criterion of necessity and directly affects the living conditions and fundamental rights of Gazans (OHCHR, 2011).

² In June 2007, Israel initiated a blockade designed to isolate Gaza, one of the most densely populated territories in the world (Filiu, 2022).

³ Israel has been engaging in pinkwashing for many years now, using a pro-LGBTQ+ political stance to polish its image around the world, particularly in Europe and North America.