Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of designating gender apartheid as a crime against humanity under international law.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is aware of calls for the inclusion of a new crime of gender apartheid in the draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention. We are assessing the merits and risks of such an approach by engaging closely with civil society and other partners to understand their views, and determine whether new international law is needed and would be beneficial.