International Women's Day and freedom of religion or belief

That this House celebrates International Women's Day which took place on Sunday March 8; recognises the importance of marking the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women; reaffirms its commitment to promoting gender equality; notes with sadness that the subjugation and persecution of women and girls remains a global phenomenon; laments the fact that many women in the world are persecuted for both their gender and their faith, such as Yazidi women in Iraq or Hindu and Christian girls forcibly converted and married in Pakistan; believes that the UK government can play an important role in addressing the specific vulnerabilities experienced by women from religious minority communities around the world; calls on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development to recognise these specific vulnerabilities; and urges the UK Government to include targeted programming and aid for women who face double vulnerabilities as members of minority faith communities, include religion as a factor of vulnerability in any assessment made in planning and programming and ensure that sensitivity relating to the international right to freedom of religion or belief is integrated into gender-related and anti-discrimination programmes.