Person

Mark Durkan

Memberships

Social Democratic & Labour Party · Commons · present

Votes

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Records

Browse all 2 records

Motion· Early Day MotionEDM 903open

SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT IN DARFUR

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 17 December 2015

That this House is deeply concerned that sexual violence is a persistent and endemic part of the conflict in Darfur; is disturbed by the findings of the recent report by Waging Peace Rape in Darfur: A History of Predation on the use of rape as a weapon of war; is alarmed that perpetrators of sexual violence in Darfur mostly act with impunity due to the low levels of reporting and prosecution of these crimes; deplores that, in order to prosecute a rape in Sudan, a victim is required to bring four male witnesses who will confirm that the act was without consent; is perturbed that victims of sexual violence rarely receive the necessary physical or psychological medical support; calls on all armed actors operating in Darfur to respect international humanitarian law and ensure that preventative mechanisms are established to eradicate acts of sexual violence perpetrated by their forces; underscores the vital mandate of the joint United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to provide protection to the civilian population of Darfur; notes that reported sexual abuses often occur immediately outside of UNAMID-controlled areas; further calls for an immediate improvement in UNAMID's capacity to patrol and provide protection to the civilians of Darfur outside of UNAMID-controlled areas; and encourages UNAMID to investigate the possibility of introducing community liaison assistants in UNAMID camps whom residents can consult about their protection needs.

Motion· Early Day MotionEDM 880open

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 15 December 2015

That this House condemns serious and systematic human rights violations resulting from natural resource extraction operations around the world, as highlighted recently in a conference organised by the Latin American Mining Monitoring Programme; recognises that mining, oil and gas extraction projects are often a source of considerable conflict, threatening indigenous and other communities living on the land; believes that women from affected communities are at particular risk from irresponsible mining practices, as they can face dispossession, displacement and sexual and gender-based violence; notes that the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in his recent report highlighted excessive use of force against defenders of rights relating to land, defence of the environment and corporate responsibility; further notes his observations of systematic collusion between state and non-state actors designed to block reports by defenders that expose corruption and human rights violations; and calls on the Government to make strong representations, including at EU and UN level, to strengthen and implement comprehensive and gender-sensitive protection mechanisms for human rights defenders in this context, and to work to ensure that affected communities and those defending them are able to participate fully in the drafting and implementation of Business and Human Rights Action Plans.