The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA

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Violence against Women Violence against women is a universal problem. In conflict-ridden regions and in post-conflict communities, however, it has much wider social ramifications. Many international agencies and national NGOs have documented that, during wars, violence against women is <strong>of</strong>ten applied on a massive scale. Women are systematically raped, intimidated, sexually abused, forced into unwanted pregnancies and killed. <strong>The</strong> intention behind these brutal actions is: to degrade, humiliate, terrorize and shame the other national group as a whole; to impinge on women’s health and well-being; to undermine women’s abilities to sustain their families and communities; and to destroy the familybased organization <strong>of</strong> the enemy group. Most sexually abused women suffer emotional breakdowns, especially women from rural communities or settings where moral codes are strict. <strong>The</strong>ir husbands, their families and their communities <strong>of</strong>ten reject them. Many impregnated women, after rape, have “back-street” abortions that put their lives at risk. Some cannot look at their babies. Still others give them away. Violence against women in post-conflict communities is reported to extend from the public to private spaces, as ex-combatants tend to bring back their “soldiering” by projecting their traumas and frustrations onto their wives and families. Socio-economic crises exists in the aftermath <strong>of</strong> conflict, resulting in the flourishing <strong>of</strong> the sex industry and especially in the trafficking <strong>of</strong> women and children. Women who seek employment opportunities outside their own countries are seldom aware <strong>of</strong> the potential dangers they face. <strong>The</strong>ir lack <strong>of</strong> information on the nature and conditions <strong>of</strong> work might make them susceptible to international organized networks that traffic in human beings. <strong>The</strong> abduction <strong>of</strong> women and children is also reported from many countries for the purpose <strong>of</strong> sexual exploitation. Social and public institutions <strong>of</strong>ten do not respond to violence with appropriate attention, immediacy and care. Inadequate legislation and traditional patriarchal cultures still tolerate violence against women in much <strong>of</strong> the world. Economic Factors Long periods <strong>of</strong> conflict, coupled with subsequent structural reforms that Governments are forced to apply, have devastating effects on the economy. Some <strong>of</strong> these include the destruction <strong>of</strong> economic and physical infrastructure, the rapid decline <strong>of</strong> industrial production, sharp rise in unemployment, the drainage <strong>of</strong> human resources, a flourishing black market, loss <strong>of</strong> savings and <strong>of</strong>ten total impoverishment. 106
Crises usually affect more women than men. Unemployment, underemployment, gender pay differentiation, unpaid family work and care provision are some <strong>of</strong> women’s painful experiences in transitioning countries. Women suffer from overt and covert gender discrimination on the labour market, especially for the young, those with small children and middle-aged women. Skilled and pr<strong>of</strong>essional women assume employment in areas unrelated to or below their skill levels. Highly educated women such as lawyers, architects, engineers, and university pr<strong>of</strong>essors are forced to accept lower-status, genderidentified positions as secretaries and receptionists. If fortunate, women can find employment with international donors implementing projects in the region. Some women refuse to have children for fear <strong>of</strong> losing their jobs. Displaced and refugee women resort to petty trades or are obliged to take jobs that urban women will not accept. Some women who try to find better living situations in foreign countries may become susceptible to organized networks that force them into prostitution and exploitation. <strong>The</strong>se women are in new surroundings without social connections, family support or access to information and services, all <strong>of</strong> which places them at heightened risk for poor health outcomes. Most training programmes implemented by international donors target demobilized soldiers in skills-based industries, intending to restructure the market economy. Less attention is usually given to training women in these priority areas, which may undermine their involvement in community rebuilding efforts. <strong>The</strong> Role <strong>of</strong> Women’s NGOs in Rebuilding War-Torn Societies In the last decade, many social movements have emerged in response to growing problems at local, transnational and international levels. United Nations global initiatives triggered an increased mobilization <strong>of</strong> civil societies, setting political agendas for pressing issues such as environmental destruction, human rights, peace and disarmament, sustainable development, women’s rights, trafficking, terrorism, HIV/AIDS and drugs. Among the factors that created large NGO responses to countries in conflict and transition were the slow democratization process as well as responses from available fund donors seeking civil-society partnerships. NGOs, grass-roots groups and social movements have different organizational structures and goals. <strong>The</strong>y are all are committed to representing millions <strong>of</strong> people and promoting community-based interests. NGOs, and women’s NGOs in particular, have bottom-up participatory organizational structures characterized by values-driven, action-oriented commitments and volunteer work. In the 1990s, women’s NGOs played a crucial role in the promotion <strong>of</strong> women’s rights, especially in family reform legislation, abortion, reproductive rights and domestic violence. In rebuilding and sustaining conflict- 107
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A UNFPA Strategy for Gender Mainstr
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FOREWORD The natur
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword List <st
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LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
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PART I. CONSULTATIVE MEETING INTROD
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BACKGROUND Women and girls constitu
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information should include document
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BACKGROUND PAPER SUMMARIES Backgrou
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NGOs feel they have the right to wi
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includes the physical, sexual and e
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services to women and by organizing
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parties, including national and int
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WORKING GROUP REPORTS Working Group
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2) Provide technical assistance on
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4) Provide reproductive supplies an
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Report of Working
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2) Advocacy: Problem: • Insuffici
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• Support, for perpetrators <stro
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Report of Working
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population groups can be disrupted
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• Implementation, monitoring and
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Report of Working
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• Build advocacy skills, networki
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• Coordinate and promote cooperat
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PART II. BACKGROUND PAPERS THE IMPA
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isolation and brings into the analy
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Target Groups Women Women and child
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Approaches The Def
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and take necessary steps to overcom
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Refugees must be involved in defini
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Sexually Transmitted Infections and
Page 63 and 64: Return and Reintegration In additio
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Page 67 and 68: • Greater attention should be giv
Page 69 and 70: Post-conflict regions have not effe
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Page 75 and 76: participate refused. 15 In the surv
Page 77 and 78: problems. These SO
Page 79 and 80: community. It could destroy a victi
Page 81 and 82: and Herzegovina. The</stron
Page 83 and 84: IPTF operates geographically throug
Page 85 and 86: WOMEN AND GIRLS IN KOSOVO: THE EFFE
Page 87 and 88: More than two years have passed. On
Page 89 and 90: young girls to attend school, among
Page 91 and 92: to different cultural attitudes tow
Page 93 and 94: opportunities as a result o
Page 95 and 96: average rate of 2.
Page 97 and 98: strict rules and have punished thei
Page 99 and 100: One of the issues
Page 101 and 102: difficult issues such as the budget
Page 103 and 104: Legislative reforms are needed in m
Page 105 and 106: Transitional Council and convinced
Page 107 and 108: • All agencies should have instit
Page 109 and 110: insecurity about the future, unempl
Page 111 and 112: Walking the painful path of
Page 113: decide to return to their husband
Page 117 and 118: • Establishing communication chan
Page 119 and 120: • Supporting grass-roots women’
Page 121 and 122: Women and men have different approa
Page 123 and 124: organized meetings to promote recon
Page 125 and 126: Recommendations Post-conflict socie
Page 127 and 128: 7. Presentation and discussion <str
Page 129 and 130: The Role o
Page 131 and 132: Working Group Three: The</s
Page 133 and 134: Country/City Participant Agency Spe
Page 135 and 136: Kyrgyzstan Bernara Alimbaeva Nepal
Page 137 and 138: New York Mohammad Nizamuddin UNFPA-
Page 139 and 140: United Kingdom Sippi Azerbaijani- M
Page 141 and 142: John Snow International Research an
Page 143 and 144: UNFPA: Pamela DeLargy, Emergency an
Page 145 and 146: ANNEX 5: MINIMUM INITIAL SERVICE PA
Page 147 and 148: • Staff trained and sensitized on
Page 149: 220 East 42nd Street New York, NY 1
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The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA

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