Mr. Chair, women and children are often the victims of war.
I have repeated this many times, in particular at the hearings of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights, a sub-committee of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. I asked the committee to study the use of rape as a weapon of war.
In such conflicts, women and children are victims in the long term. For example, children are often left to fend for themselves when they turn 15. When wars end, these children, who have been trained as soldiers and to kill, often consider their armed groups as their family.
I talked about initiatives that provide psychosocial help to families, children and women. Not one organization has been funded and no action has been taken.
It is important for Canada, as a country that respects the rights of women and children, to provide its expertise to Africa in order to help these women and children break the vicious circle created by conflicts. They are truly the forgotten victims in these conflicts. We talk about the armed groups, but we very seldom talk about the civilians, the women and children who are truly affected by these conflicts.
This would be one way for Canada to show leadership, especially with respect to women and children.
I believe that all MPs will agree with me because we truly have to help these most vulnerable groups.