On March 11, Angel Angelov, Consul General of Bulgaria in New York, participated in the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) event, “Dialogues with Diplomats: Sexual Violence on October 7th”, held at AJC’s headquarters in New York. This discussion was part of AJC’s ongoing diplomatic engagement series and coincided with the 69th annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and Women’s History Month.

The panel featured distinguished speakers, including Ambassador Meryl Frank (former U.S. representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women), Nava ben-Or (former Israeli prosecutor), and Eetta Prince-Gibson (journalist and university professor).

AJC New York Director Josh Kramer opened the event by introducing The Dinah Project, an Israel-based initiative dedicated to securing recognition and justice for the victims of October 7th and future victims of conflict-related sexual violence. The project played a key role in bringing Pramila Patten, UN Under Secretary-General and Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, to the region. Patten’s subsequent report provided clear evidence of systematic sexual violence, including rape and torture. Representatives from The Dinah Project have since briefed the UN Security Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and senior White House officials on the issue.

Panelists Nava ben-Or and Eetta Prince-Gibson are among the core members of The Dinah Project. During the discussion, all panelists highlighted the widespread evidence of sexual violence committed during Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Despite this, they emphasized the global response has largely been marked by denial, disinformation, and a lack of advocacy—especially from international human rights and women’s rights organizations. The panel repeatedly called for sanctions against Hamas for its use of sexual violence as a weapon of terror.