Standing With Women Impacted by Armed Conflict & War on International Women's Day #BreakTheBias

On this International Women's Day, we should remember all the women and girls living in countries with armed conflict and war, and those who have been forced to flee their countries in search of safe refuge.

We also should remember, honour and support women's rights activists and organisations that do this crucial work.

''It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in an armed conflict''

-MAJOR GENERAL PATRICK CAMMAERT, FORMER UN PEACEKEEPING COMMANDER

There is no doubt that war affects women and men differently. Whenever there has been conflict, women and children have been known to suffer disproportionately during and after war. They often find themselves facing unimaginable risks, threats and challenges under such conditions.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), these risks and challenges include impoverishment, physical and/or sexual violence, loss of loved ones, deprivation of livelihood, increased responsibility for family members, displacement and sometimes death.

Throughout history, we see examples of terrible abuses and violations against women and children.

For 16 months, in an often hidden and ignored armed conflict in northern Ethiopia, warring parties have doubly victimised women and girls, subjecting them to widespread, horrific acts of sexual violence and then deliberately obstructing their access to care.

Today, hundreds of thousands of women are fleeing the?conflict in Ukraine, increasing the number of refugees and displaced people around the world.

In Afghanistan, women are risking their lives, fighting to regain the rights the Taliban deny them.

Many organisations like Women for Women International, Amnesty International, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Human Right Watch are doing great work supporting the women around the globe fighting to end?child marriage,?sexual assault, and?gender-based violence. Rape is often weaponised by perpetrators of conflict in an attempt to terrorise, dismantle and destabilise a population.

Thomas Plümper, Professor of Quantitative Social Research at Vienna University of Economics & Eric Neumayer of London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), carried out an intensive research highlighting The Effect of Armed Conflict on the Gender Gap in Life Expectancy

Conflict affects men and women unevenly in the following ways:

1. The economic damage effect: Conflict damages agricultural systems, basic infrastructure and healthcare infrastructure. This disproportionately affects women due to pre-existing social structures that disadvantage them in access to resources
2. The displacement effect: Women are overrepresented in refugee camps where mortality rates are generally higher than outside
3. The sexual violence effect: Women are often systematically sexually assaulted and murdered during conflicts. This also increases risks of HIV infection.

''The breakdown of social order and the ensuing brutalisation fuels male aggression against women who suffer from sexual violence both within and outside their domestic household. Until very recently, no particular attention was paid to the gender-specific aspects of the negative impacts of violent conflict. Recent reports by the United Nations General Secretary to the Security Council, by the United Nations Development Fund for Women and by the International Committee of the Red Cross have tried to put the spotlight on the issue.''

The findings suggest that policy makers, non-governmental organisations and academics need to pay more attention to the indirect consequences of armed conflict, which are currently under appreciated.

Some forms of violence resulting from conflict/refugee situations

• Mass rape, military sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced “marriages” and forced pregnancies
• Multiple rapes and gang rape (with multiple perpetrators) and the rape of young girls
• Sexual assault associated with violent physical assault
• Resurgence of female genital mutilation, within the community under attack, as a way to reinforce cultural identity
• Women forced to offer sex for survival, or in exchange for food, shelter, or “protection”
• Increase in case of human trafficking, child prostitution and modern day slavery.

Women for Women International compiled these shocking and alarming statistics that every human being needs to pay attention to:

1. Of the?82.4million people?currently displaced from their homes – almost one in every 100 human beings on earth – 80% are women and children.
2. 50% increase in the likelihood of domestic violence experienced by women in conflict zones
3. 1.2 billion people are affected by some form of violence or insecurity
4. 80% of the world's 65 million refugees are women and children
5. Up to 50,000 women were raped during the Bosnian war.
6. An estimated 250,000 women were raped during the Rwandan genocide.
7. Over?80%?of Syrian women refugees in Iraq live in daily fear of abuse.
8. Nearly?90%?of Afghan women experience domestic abuse during their lifetime.
9. 27%?of DRC’s women have survived sexual violence, and 57% domestic violence.

Despite increased awareness and mobilisation at the local and international levels, women and girls in conflict continue to face multiple challenges. A lack of high-level leadership committed to integrating women’s rights, including in Security Council negotiations and in peace talks, means women are often left out. Women continue to be excluded from conflict prevention and resolution efforts.

United Nations Human Rights-Office of The High Commissioner stresses that:

''Women and girls should not only be seen as victims of conflict and instability. They have historically had and continue to have a role as combatants, as part of organised civil society, as human rights defenders, as members of resistance movements and as active agents in both formal and informal peace building and recovery processes.?

Post-conflict situations and reforms can be viewed as an opportunity for transformation of the societal structures and norms in place before the conflict in order to ensure greater enjoyment of women’s human rights. Yet, women’s exclusion from conflict prevention efforts, post-conflict transition and reconstruction processes have been matters of concern for the international community.''

Women were active and crucial participants in the negotiations that led up to Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998, yet male domination in making peace, as in making war, remains the norm.

“Peace means different things to women and men because of their unique experiences as a result of the war, and as a result of how society is structured. Peace to women means putting food on the table, economic empowerment, access to healthcare and education, and that we can speak up against abuse in the home.”- Estella Nelson, founder and President of the?Liberia Women Media Action Committee.

There is more than enough information, research and publication that highlight the effects of war and armed conflict to women/girls and children.

To rebuild societies after conflict and to achieve lasting peace, it is imperative that women become active participants in decision-making.

Let's work towards peace, conflict resolution, forgiveness and healing as a human race. Without urgent action, we define the non existing future of the younger generations. We must act now.

On this International Women's Day, I hope for unity, peace, reconciliation and end of conflict. It's not too much to ask.