What changed between the resolution motion and the adopted text

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 8, 10, 78 and 83 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

– having regard to Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA (the Victims’ Rights Directive), which provides a framework for victim-centred justice, including in cases of sexual violence,

– having regard to Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence,

– having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2020 on Gender Equality in EU’s foreign and security policy,

– having regard to its resolution of 16 September 2021 with recommendations to the Commission on identifying gender-based violence as a new area of crime listed in Article 83(1) TFEU,

– having regard to its resolution of 5 May 2022 on the impact of the war against Ukraine on women,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

– having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of 17 July 1998,

– having regard to the Geneva Conventions, particularly to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war,

– having regard to the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women of 20 December 1993,

– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 on women, peace and security and the follow-up resolutions thereto, namely Resolutions 1820 (2008) of 19 June 2008, 1888 (2009) of 30 September 2009, 1889 (2009) of 5 October 2009, 1960 (2010) of 16 December 2010, 2106 (2013) of 24 June 2013, 2122 (2013) of 18 October 2013, 2242 (2015) of 13 October 2015, 2467 (2019) of 23 April 2019 and 2493 (2019) of 29 October 2019,

– having regard to the UN Secretary-General’s latest annual report on conflict-related sexual violence (S/2025/389), dated 15 July 2025 and submitted pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 2467 (2019), in which the Council asked the UN Secretary-General to report annually on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1960 (2010) and 2106 (2013) and recommend strategic actions,

– having regard to the fundamental principles of international law, to the UN Charter, to the 1977 and the 1979 high-level agreements between the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, to the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council on Cyprus, including Resolution 186 (1964), which reaffirms the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984) on secessionist actions in Cyprus and Resolution 2815 (2026) on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), and to the agreed framework of a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as set out in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, for the comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem,

– having regard to the report of 10 July 1976 of the European Commission of Human Rights in Cyprus v Turkey (Applications Nos 6780/74 and 6950/75),

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness of 30 August 1961,

– having regard to the 2018 UN Global Compact on Refugees,

– having regard to General Recommendation No 38 of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, published on 20 November 2020,

– having regard to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s report of 15 December 1994 entitled ‘Report on the situation in Cyprus (recent political developments)’,

– having regard to the Council of Europe Convention of 11 May 2011 on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence,

– having regard to the mission of its Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM Committee) to Nicosia, Cyprus, which took place from 26 to 28 May 2025, and to the subsequent mission report,

– having regard to Rule 167(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality,

A. whereas on 20 July 1974, Turkish armed forces invaded the Republic of Cyprus and, despite the UN-brokered ceasefire declared on 22 July 1974 pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 353 (1974), proceeded to launch a second large-scale offensive on 14 August 1974 in blatant violation of that ceasefire, thereby consolidating their illegal occupation and expanding it to approximately 36 % of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, forcibly displacing a large proportion of the civilian population and committing widespread violations and atrocities against civilians, including women and girls;

B. whereas the occupying regime, which is a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion and is subordinate to Türkiye, is illegal and is not internationally recognised; whereas the perpetrators of the gender-based violence were predominantly members of the Turkish armed forces, who were reportedly acting at the direction of and/or under the protection of their officers;

C. whereas the consequences of the 1974 Turkish military invasion of Cyprus for women and girls have long been overlooked, with Cypriot women’s experiences of violence and forced displacement remaining some of the least acknowledged and often being excluded from official historical, legal and institutional recognition;

G. whereas Turkish armed forces have, by way of systematic conduct and established practice, caused deprivation of life to all Cypriot communities, including through the indiscriminate killing of civilians, and have subjected persons, including women of all ages, to torture and inhuman and degrading treatment;

H. whereas women are disproportionately affected by conflict-related and aftermath violence, with the impact taking multiple forms, such as sexual violence, forced displacement, forced and compulsory labour, forms of sexual exploitation, economic collapse, and physical and psychological trauma; whereas the resulting harm often persists for decades after the formal end of hostilities, undermining women’s economic independence, bodily autonomy and political participation;

I. whereas many survivors were compelled to migrate in order to escape stigma and cope with post-traumatic stress, and an unspecified number of cases of suicide or attempted suicide have been reported; whereas the issue remains largely taboo, despite recent instances of survivors providing public testimony, including anonymously;

J. whereas rape and sexual violence against the civilian population continue to be used, in a widespread and intentional way, as a weapon of war in order to gain political or military advantage; whereas conflict-related sexual violence is also used as a method of torture and even considered a ‘spoil of war’; whereas conflict-related sexual violence can also be a weapon and tactic of destruction; whereas acts of sexual violence are considered crimes under international human rights law in both war and peacetime;

L. whereas it was mentioned during the FEMM Committee mission to Cyprus that there was ongoing engagement with the Greek Orthodox Church as a societal actor contributing to the preservation of cultural identity and dialogue in the context of the ongoing situation in Cyprus, following the events of 1974 that resulted in the occupation of the island; whereas it was raised, in the context of the mission, that it shows capacity to respond with sensitivity and pragmatism in periods of acute social upheaval, with its commitment to promoting gender equality in this regard;

M. whereas there is an urgent need to address the long-term trauma, experiences and suffering of Cypriot women and put in place victim-centred counselling and specifically designed support services to further their personal, social and economic empowerment; notes that this must be done in a way that respects autonomy and confidentiality and, more broadly, shows utmost respect for human dignity, including psychological dignity;

N. whereas the real number of Cypriot victims of sexual violence remains unknown, with estimates varying considerably and figures reported by the FEMM Committee mission ranging between 700 and 1 500; whereas this uncertainty hinders the processes of reparation and compensation; whereas the survivors of sexual violence in Cyprus often do not come forward to report the acts they suffered because of trauma, stigma, fear, shame and a lack of institutional support and a safe and trusted reporting mechanism; whereas this has exacerbated the long-term psychological, social and economic consequences;

O. whereas the victims included women of all ages, from underage girls and teenagers to young women, middle-aged mothers and older women, and even boys, fathers and men;

P. whereas in 1974, rape and other forms of sexual violence were already prohibited under international humanitarian law, including Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which requires women to be given special protection against rape and any form of assault;

Q. whereas the May 2025 FEMM Committee mission to Cyprus highlighted the urgent need for recognition of the impact of the invasion and ongoing occupation on women and girls, including as a matter of dignity and justice for survivors;

R. whereas gender equality, respect for human dignity and the protection of fundamental rights are core EU values and must be upheld consistently, including with regard to past crimes affecting EU citizens;

1. Condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the Republic of Türkiye’s military invasion and continued illegal occupation of the Republic of Cyprus, now in its 52nd year, as a serious breach of international law and an obstacle to peace, stability and EU-Türkiye relations; strongly condemns the grave and enduring consequences of the invasion for Cypriot women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence and other forms of sexual exploitation, enforced displacement, family separation, and other violations of international humanitarian and human rights law disproportionately affecting women and girls, as well as the long-term social, economic and psychological harm suffered;

2. Stresses that the Republic of Türkiye bears continuing responsibility under international law for the violations committed during and after the 1974 invasion, which include grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, and recalls that such responsibility entails the obligation to ensure that victims are provided full reparation, including restitution, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition; calls on the Member States to ensure the provision of effective reparation for all victims of gender-based violence, including sexual violence; recalls that such reparation should be adequate, promptly attributed, and holistic in order to recognise the harm suffered;

3. Calls for the resumption, as a matter of urgency, of negotiations on the reunification of Cyprus under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, stressing that they should continue from the point at which they were interrupted in Crans-Montana in 2017; strongly reaffirms its view that the only solution to the Cyprus problem is a fair, comprehensive, viable and democratic settlement, within the long-established and agreed UN framework and EU acquis, on the basis of a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions;

4. Fully acknowledges the profound and multidimensional impact of the invasion and occupation on Cypriot women and girls, whose courage, strength and suffering has all too often remained invisible, under-reported and insufficiently recognised at national, European and international levels; underlines that Cypriot women and girls have also been key agents of resistance, solidarity and peacebuilding and calls for their leadership to be recognised and supported in all relevant policies; states that any political process concerning the future of the island must fully include women, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000);

5. Calls on Türkiye to withdraw its troops from Cyprus and refrain from any unilateral action that would entrench the permanent occupation of the island and from action altering the demographic balance;

6. Recognises the consequences of the forced displacement, including internal displacement, resulting from the invasion and ongoing occupation, and its enduring impact on first-, second- and third-generation Cypriots, particularly women and girls, who have been disproportionately affected; highlights that many have experienced the loss of homes, community networks and cultural continuity, as well as intergenerational trauma, identity fragmentation and persistent feelings of dislocation and non-belonging, compounded by gender inequalities and the specific social expectations placed upon women; emphasises that this needs to be addressed through targeted psychosocial support policies for victims and survivors;

7. Recognises that conflict-related sexual violence has long-term secondary social and economic consequences, including poverty, exclusion and stigma, and calls on the Council to ensure that these effects are fully assessed and reflected in reparation measures adopted at national level;

8. Recognises that the majority of women and girls who were raped during the invasion and in its aftermath could access sexual and reproductive health services, particularly abortion, in Cyprus’ hospitals and British bases, even though abortion was criminalised at the time;