The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA
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The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA

The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA

peacewomen.org
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17.05.2014 Views

ong>Theong> Centre for Peace, Non-Violence and Human Rights in Osijek, Croatia, has facilitated cross-border communication and peaceful co-existence in Slavonia and Baranja since 1994. ong>Theong> Mediterranean Women’s Studies Centre created the Balkan Women’s Network for Democratization and ong>Conflictong> Prevention within the Royaumont Initiative. Finally, KEGME is uniting women’s NGOs from all Balkan countries under the mandate to promote sustainable peace and stability in South- Eastern Europe. ong>Theong> strongest entry point for collective action is under violence against women. That women in all conflict regions have been subjected to numerous atrocities and indignities has galvanized the international and the local communities. Women’s NGOs have taken the lead, organized themselves and put great effort into alleviating the suffering ong>ofong> traumatized women and their families. ong>Theong>y have distributed food and medical assistance; set up centres and clinics for women; and provided psychological support, reproductive health education and gynaecological treatment. One example is the Medica Mondiale, which was established by the Albanian NGO Forum gradually to reintegrate Kosovar refugee women into society. In Croatia, the Centre for Non-Violent Action produced posters, leaflets, TV commercials, T-shirts and advertisements in tram-vehicles to raise public awareness and oppose violence against women. B.a.B.e. organized a public awareness campaign on the issue ong>ofong> violence against women entitled “16 days against violence.” ong>Theong> campaign involved three years ong>ofong> wide media coverage. Civil society, NGOs and especially women’s NGOs, draw on their experiences and visions to undertake major efforts in conflict transformation and local society-rebuilding. Governments, international agencies and private donors must recognize their efforts and initiatives. ong>Theong> expertise and knowledge ong>ofong> women’s NGOs must be utilized and their projects supported. Above all, they should be included in all decision-making processes for peace and security according to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. 116

Recommendations Post-conflict societies and countries in transition face the great challenges ong>ofong> reconstruction and rehabilitation. ong>Theong>y need financial and technical resources in order to meet the demands ong>ofong> rebuilding political, economic and social sectors. Usually, funders target specific sectors, such as education, economic development, democratic governance, energy and environment, population and health. In disbursing funds for civil society building, however, donors must take into consideration the gender dimension in all income-generating activities and development programmes. An integral approach is necessary to implement projects that include men and women, and to strengthen efforts to develop healthy societies. Specifically, funding is needed for: • Income generation and skills training in micro-enterprises to address unemployment and increase self-sufficiency; • Health education projects, including reproductive health; • Education projects with built-in sustainability and prevention for problems such as drug abuse and STIs, including HIV/AIDS, for girls and adolescents; • Training courses for teachers, social workers and parents on how to identify children’s sexual abuse; • Gender-awareness training, advocacy and leadership skills; • Training ong>ofong> trainers for health-care provision; and • Skills development on conflict prevention and transformation. Donors should include financial aid to provide technical assistance to NGOs, specifically to strengthen their capacities. Donors must also encourage the creation ong>ofong> partnerships between NGOs and local governments so that they can jointly identify priority areas. As such, these partnerships can maximize benefits for both partners, and together they can establish self-sustaining social systems. 117

<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Centre for Peace, N<strong>on</strong>-Violence <strong>and</strong> Human Rights in Osijek, Croatia, has<br />

facilitated cross-border communicati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> peaceful co-existence in Slav<strong>on</strong>ia<br />

<strong>and</strong> Baranja since 1994. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Mediterranean <strong>Women</strong>’s Studies Centre created<br />

the Balkan <strong>Women</strong>’s Network for Democratizati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>flict</str<strong>on</strong>g> Preventi<strong>on</strong> within<br />

the Royaum<strong>on</strong>t Initiative. Finally, KEGME is uniting women’s NGOs from all<br />

Balkan countries under the m<strong>and</strong>ate to promote sustainable peace <strong>and</strong> stability<br />

in South- Eastern Europe.<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> str<strong>on</strong>gest entry point for collective acti<strong>on</strong> is under violence against<br />

women. That women in all c<strong>on</strong>flict regi<strong>on</strong>s have been subjected to numerous<br />

atrocities <strong>and</strong> indignities has galvanized the internati<strong>on</strong>al <strong>and</strong> the local<br />

communities. <strong>Women</strong>’s NGOs have taken the lead, organized themselves <strong>and</strong><br />

put great effort into alleviating the suffering <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> traumatized women <strong>and</strong> their<br />

families. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>y have distributed food <strong>and</strong> medical assistance; set up centres <strong>and</strong><br />

clinics for women; <strong>and</strong> provided psychological support, reproductive health<br />

educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> gynaecological treatment. One example is the Medica M<strong>on</strong>diale,<br />

which was established by the Albanian NGO Forum gradually to reintegrate<br />

Kosovar refugee women into society. In Croatia, the Centre for N<strong>on</strong>-Violent<br />

Acti<strong>on</strong> produced posters, leaflets, TV commercials, T-shirts <strong>and</strong> advertisements<br />

in tram-vehicles to raise public awareness <strong>and</strong> oppose violence against women.<br />

B.a.B.e. organized a public awareness campaign <strong>on</strong> the issue <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> violence against<br />

women entitled “16 days against violence.” <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> campaign involved three years <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

wide media coverage.<br />

Civil society, NGOs <strong>and</strong> especially women’s NGOs, draw <strong>on</strong> their<br />

experiences <strong>and</strong> visi<strong>on</strong>s to undertake major efforts in c<strong>on</strong>flict transformati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

local society-rebuilding. Governments, internati<strong>on</strong>al agencies <strong>and</strong> private d<strong>on</strong>ors<br />

must recognize their efforts <strong>and</strong> initiatives. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> expertise <strong>and</strong> knowledge <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

women’s NGOs must be utilized <strong>and</strong> their projects supported. Above all, they<br />

should be included in all decisi<strong>on</strong>-making processes for peace <strong>and</strong> security<br />

according to United Nati<strong>on</strong>s Security Council Resoluti<strong>on</strong> 1325.<br />

116

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