The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA

NGOs, but the fear <strong>of</strong> not seeing family members again and uncertainty about
the future traumatized many. Women had to take care <strong>of</strong> their children,
grandchildren and the elderly, while many men continued to stay in Kosovo to
fight, hide or attempt to protect their property. Women’s NGOs organized all
kinds <strong>of</strong> activities to support women inside the refugee camps, making life for
inhabitants there more bearable. 45 A group <strong>of</strong> Kosovo-Albanian women took part
in the fighting; others helped with giving the guerillas food and shelter.
UNIFEM and others have encouraged women to write down their
memories from the exodus and their time spent in refugee camps, but so far no
memories have been published. This is because the accounts could make
women more vulnerable, as the needs and dangers facing women under refugee
camp conditions would be accessible.
UNFPA, the Albanian branch <strong>of</strong> the International Planned Parenthood
Federation and other organizations did an excellent job responding to the
reproductive health needs <strong>of</strong> women refugees. Contraceptives were distributed,
women in need <strong>of</strong> abortions were assisted and they were brought to health-care
centres in case <strong>of</strong> having births. Women with small babies were supported with
diapers and other supplies. <strong>The</strong> Vatican, however, noted critically that
contraceptives had been given to people before blankets and food. 46
After 12 June, people started returning to Kosovo in large numbers, eager
to start the reconstruction. Now it was the turn <strong>of</strong> Serbs and Roma people to
leave Kosovo in order to escape revenge. Since June 1999, hundreds <strong>of</strong> Serbs
and Roma people have been killed to avenge what happened during the crisis.
<strong>The</strong>re are still no reliable figures on how many people were killed during
the conflict. In recent months, mass graves have opened in Serbia where the
Milosevic regime tried to hide evidence <strong>of</strong> brutal murders <strong>of</strong> women, men and
children. <strong>The</strong> destiny <strong>of</strong> more than 2,000 Kosovo-Albanians is still unknown and
more than 1,400 Serbs are still missing.
Women and the Kosovo Crisis
All the events described above had pr<strong>of</strong>ound effects on the lives <strong>of</strong> women
in Kosovo. Many women lost fathers, husbands, sons or brothers, or daughters,
sisters and mothers in the conflict. Houses were destroyed, huge unemployment
persisted and poverty became the destiny <strong>of</strong> many families. <strong>The</strong>re are
thousands <strong>of</strong> widows in Kosovo. Many <strong>of</strong> them are now responsible for
supporting their families, since there are no men to lead the household, as
according to tradition. On the other hand, many women have received
opportunities to go abroad and live in other countries, where they were exposed
45 Ibid.
46 Report from the European IPPF Regional Meeting in Norway, June 1999.
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