Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the UK is taking in regard to North Korea to ensure that the three objectives of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative are met.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) falls outside of the scope of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI), which is focused on addressing impunity for sexual violence committed in conflict zones. However whilst the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not currently run projects directly aimed at preventing sexual violence in the DPRK, we continue to support projects aimed at improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable groups in North Korean society.

Following the launch of the PSVI initiative, our Ambassador in Pyongyang raised the campaign with the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and encouraged their endorsement. There was no response from the North Korean Government.

The British Government continues to maintain pressure on the DPRK to engage with the international community on human rights and address the appalling reports of human rights violations, as documented in the UN Commission of Inquiry report, including those of sexual violence.