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 Home > Focus > Women and war News Section Women and war Section covering the specific dangers and suffering confronting women in wartime, whose plight could be improved if the rules of humanitarian law were fully respected. Access to the ICRC study Women facing war as well as related resource materials and links to other sites concerning women.
©ICRC/VII/A. Kratochvil/v-p-ge-e-00538
For the most part they are civilians caught in the crossfire, and show astonishing resourcefulness and resilience in coping with the disintegration of their families, the loss of their home and their belongings and the destruction of their lives. See also
 Key document2-3-2010 Women and displacement: strength in adversity The displacement of populations is one of the gravest consequences of today's armed conflicts. It affects women in a host of ways. But far from being helpless victims, women are resourceful, resilient and courageous in the face of hardship. Nadine Puechguirbal, the ICRC adviser on women and war explains. (Focus\Women and war) Interview Includes Photo 1-3-2010 Women and displacement: facing up to hardship The ICRC is using this year’s International Women's Day to call attention to displaced women. The purpose is to give a voice to women who have responded actively to their plight, thereby revealing their strength and resilience to overcome appalling suffering and ultimately emerge stronger. (Info resources\Photos) Photo Collection Includes Photo Feature3-9-2010 Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: on the hill, a haven of peace Like thousands of other women in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, young Madeleine was raped by armed men. Given the scale on which sexual violence is being perpetrated, local groups have set up have set up counselling centres ("maisons d'écoute") where victims receive psychological care. Marie-Servane Desjonquères reports from South Kivu. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Kinshasa) Feature Includes Photo 4-3-2010 Sexual violence in the DRC: recognizing trauma to rebuild one's life All around the world, thousands of women suffer sexual violence every year. On the occasion of International Women's Day (8 March), two Congolese women talk about their suffering and about the hope and strength that enable them to move on. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Kinshasa) Feature Includes Photo 4-3-2010 Senegal: microprojects restore dignity in Casamance For over two decades, Casamance has suffered violence and insecurity. Thousands of people have been displaced. ICRC microprojects are supporting some of the most vulnerable displaced people, many of them women. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Senegal) Feature Includes Photo 2-3-2010 Colombia: I am a strong, determined mother Sexual violence related to Colombia's armed conflict is on the increase. Affecting women, men and children. Many victims fail to report attacks, either because they are afraid of being stigmatized or because they have received threats. The story is repeated again and again. In silence. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia) Feature Includes Photo 2-3-2010 Iraq: making the best of a bad situation After decades of war in Iraq, many families are destitute or living in poverty. Many male breadwinners have been detained or killed or have disappeared. ICRC delegate Caroline Douilliez met with two Iraqi women, who told her how they ensure their family's survival. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Feature Includes Photo 25-11-2009 Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a story of resilience Marie, a 22-year-old Congolese woman, has suffered long-term sexual abuse. She is now trying to rebuild her life thanks to the ICRC programme of psychosocial and economic support in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Marie's story is told by Nadine Puechguirbal, ICRC adviser on women and war. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Kinshasa) Feature 19-10-2009 Sandra, imprisoned guerrilla fighter: "being separated from my child is extremely hard" In Bogotá's Good Shepherd prison, dozens of women who had fought for one of Colombia's many armed groups struggle to maintain ties with their children. Sandra is one of them, and she is clinging to hope for her future, despite a long prison sentence. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia) Feature Includes Photo 27-2-2009 Health in prison: looking after women in a man’s worldPrison is basically a man’s world. The prison medical system is basically designed for men. So the ICRC is paying particular attention to the situation of women in prison. Female prisoners constitute a vulnerable group, and their specific health needs are often neglected. (Focus\Women and war) Feature Includes Photo 29-12-2008 Liberia: helping women move towards economic self-sufficiencyThe 14-year civil war in Liberia displaced thousands of families and disrupted the economy for years to come. The ICRC Economic Security Cassava Project in south-eastern Liberia is helping to get many Liberian women back on their feet. The ICRC's Richard Kpah reports. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Liberia) Feature Includes Photo 17-11-2008 Life in Hebron: harassment and increasing poverty A Palestinian mother of six talks about her daily life in Hebron as she struggles to make ends meet in the midst of road closures and settler violence. She is one of thousands of vulnerable people receiving monthly food supplies from the ICRC. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Feature Includes Photo 1-3-2007 Women in war: a particularly vulnerable group?Women are often considered particularly vulnerable in conflict situations. And yet they often prove to be surprisingly strong and remarkably ingenious at coping with difficulties. In any given situation, the ICRC assesses risk and vulnerability so that it can give help to those in greatest need as a matter of priority. (Focus\Women and war) Feature Includes Photo Field newsletter5-3-2009 Iraq: women in war The ICRC's Iraq delegation has produced a newsletter containing testimonies from Iraqi women facing the effects of conflict and explaining how the ICRC is helping them to cope. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Field newsletter Includes PDF ICRC film27-2-2007 Colombia: searching for safety Colombia has been ravaged by over four decades of armed conflict. An estimated three million people have fled violence in the countryside. In this film, we meet Carmen, Maria and Anna who have moved to Bogota in search of safety. They survive, despite their minimal income and the constant fear of further violence, receiving some help from the ICRC's emergency assistance programme. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\From the field) ICRC film Includes Video 26-2-2007 Liberia: homecoming in GorluAfter 14 years of war, the villagers of Gorlu in Lofa County are finally starting to come home. But life is hard, especially for the women. Lofo, grandmother of seven, was forced out of the village 10 years ago and she's lost everything. But with tolerance and humour, she is determined to put down her roots again. With some assistance from the ICRC, her new house gradually takes shape. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\From the field) ICRC film Includes Video 26-2-2007 Women fleeing warArmed conflict displaces people from their homes and livelihoods. Women often have to cope with the loss of close relatives and find new way to support themselves and their families. The ICRC works to understand the specific needs of women displaced by war, in order to better help them. This film tells the story of five women displaced by conflict in Colombia, Liberia and Sudan. Although the contexts are different, the challenges these women face bear striking similarities. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\Protection) ICRC film Includes Video 1-12-2006 Congo Kinshasa: the hidden battlefieldBrutal rape has become commonplace in some parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an area plagued by warring groups who prey on local people with little fear of retaliation. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\From the field) ICRC film Includes Video ICRC Publication28-2-2008 Women and warThis publication looks at the ways in which women can be affected by conflict and the actions taken by the ICRC to take their specific needs into account. It also promotes those rules of international humanitarian law which provide specific protection for women in war. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Protection) ICRC Publication Includes PDF 31-5-2005 Antenatal guidelines for primary health care in crisis conditionsWithin the area of mother and childcare, antenatal care plays a key role in reducing death, disease and suffering among women, whose vulnerability is always exacerbated by armed conflict and poor security conditions. These Antenatal guidelines for primary health care in crisis conditions provide field staff with basic practical information they need to run an antenatal clinic in situations that may vary greatly from one country to another. The handbook deal only with first level of health care, that is to say the community health centre, and not with the second and third levels (reference and district hospitals) (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC Publication Includes PDF 2-3-2004 Addressing the needs of women affected by armed conflict: an ICRC guidance documentBuilding upon the ICRC study Women Facing War, this guidance document intends to translate the findings of the study into practical terms. Aimed at staff concerned with the planning and implementation of humanitarian programmes, this document is intended as a means of sharing ICRC's experience in this area with other organisations. It is an important tool which can be used to address women's needs on an operational level, illustrating best practices and lessons learned. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Protection) ICRC Publication Includes PDF 31-12-2001 Women facing warThis ICRC study is an extensive reference document on the impact of armed conflict on the lives of women. Taking as its premise the needs of women, e.g. physical safety, access to health care, food and shelter, in situations of armed conflict, the study explores the problems faced by women in wartime and the coping mechanisms they employ. A thorough analysis of international humanitarian law, and to a lesser extent human rights and refugee law, was carried out as a means to assess the protection afforded to women through these bodies of law. The study also includes a review of the ICRC's operational response to the needs of women as victims of armed conflict. Overview of contents and executive summary (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Protection) ICRC publication Includes PDF Interview3-3-2009 Greater need, fewer resources: ensuring adequate health care for women during armed conflictIn areas ravaged by conflict, women’s specific health needs are often neglected and ignored. But women are particularly at risk when the bombs are falling. On the occasion of International Women's Day, Nadine Puechguirbal, the ICRC's women and war adviser, explains the challenges that women face in war and why they need better access to health care. (Focus\Women and war) Interview Includes Photo 2-3-2009 Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: prevention and victim assistance Armed violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in the provinces of North and South Kivu, includes widespread rape and countless other forms of sexual violence. Mirella Papinutto, head of the ICRC's psycho-social programmes in the country, talks about the activities conducted by the ICRC to prevent such violence and assist the victims. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Kinshasa) Interview Includes Photo 26-6-2008 Confronting sexual violence as a method of warfareThe UN Security Council adopted a new resolution in June demanding that those engaged in conflict take action to halt rape and other forms of sexual violence against civilians. The ICRC's legal adviser on women and war, Jean-Marie Henckaerts, talks about the importance of this step and its likely impact. (Humanitarian law\Women and war) Interview Includes Photo 28-2-2008 Women and the Missing: the burden of those left behindOn the occasion of International Women’s Day (8 March), Florence Tercier, ICRC’s women and war adviser, explains the immensely challenging plight of women whose male relatives have gone missing in war and what the ICRC is doing to support them. (Focus\Women and war) Interview Includes Photo Official Statement14-10-2009 Advancement of womenUnited Nations, General Assembly, 64th session, Third Committee, Items 62 of the agenda, Statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), New York, 14 October 2009 (ICRC Activities\Humanitarian diplomacy\United Nations\64th General Assembly) Official Statement Photo Collection19-2-2009 Promoting women’s health worldwide The ICRC cares for all the victims of conflict but it adapts this care to meet their needs. Specific services for women affected by conflict include support for rape victims, medical care for women in places of detention, antenatal and postnatal care for mothers and babies, the provision of hygiene requisites/training and rehabilitation for female mine victims. (Info resources\Photos) Photo Collection Includes Photo 29-2-2008 Women and the Missing: living between hope and despair A large majority of those who disappear or are killed in armed conflict or other situations of violence are men, and thus the burden and anguish of clarifying their fate falls to the women left behind. This collection of images and text describes the ordeals women face when their male relatives go missing and what the ICRC is doing to support them. (Info resources\Photos) Photo Collection Includes Photo 26-2-2007 Women and displacement: bearing the burden Women bear the brunt of the burden of displacement, having to strike a delicate balance between the risks they run in often hostile environments and the imperative to provide for the immediate needs of the family. This gallery provides a glimpse of contexts from around the world in which the ICRC is active and in which courageous women come together in their struggle to survive in sometimes impossibly difficult environments. (Info resources\Photos) Photo Collection Includes Photo Press article31-3-2009 Nepal: Deepa, Pushpa, Sita and Maiya Deepa Pandey lives in Surkhet, Pushpa Chaudhary is from Kailali, Sita Thapa is in Rautahat and Maiya Mijar lives in Dhading. What they have in common is that they are all women in their mid-20s who suffered during the war and are now running small businesses to take care of their families. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Nepal) Press article Report27-9-2006 Women in Armed Opposition Groups in Africa and the Promotion of International Humanitarian Law and Human RightsThis report retraces the exchanges and recommendations conducted at the 2005 conference held in Addis Ababa on how women combatants can help promote humanitarian and human rights norms. Two members of the ICRC took part as facilitators in this conference organised by the NGO Geneva Call and which gathered 40 women currently or recently involved in armed opposition groups from a dozen sub-Saharan African countries. (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Armed forces and police) Report Includes PDF 11-5-2006 Violence against girls in Africa during armed conflicts and crisesSecond International Policy Conference on the African Child: Violence Against Girls in Africa, Addis Ababa, 11-12 May 2006. Report by Florence Tercier Holst-Roness, Women and War Adviser for the ICRC. (Focus\Children in war) Report Includes PDF 6-12-2003 Women and War, implementation of the ICRC pledge to the 27th International ConferenceReport prepared by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 28th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Geneva, 2 to 6 December 2003 (Focus\RC Movement\International Conference\28th Conference) Report Includes PDF Video Collection11-12-2009 Lost in Darfur, Mariam's story When the conflict in Darfur, west Sudan, broke out in 2003, hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes. Many sought shelter in camps but many more had to survive without help from anyone. Mariam was one of them. She remembers the terrible night the fighters came to her village, driving her out of her home with her baby on her back. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 27-2-2009 Counselling rape victimes in Democratic Republic of the Congo Charlotte Tabaro is a psycho-social worker for the Red Cross in DRC. By offering a listening ear to victims of sexual violence, she helps them to share their experiences and deal with the pain of the traumatic events they have gone through. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video More in this section2-3-2007 Women and war: the ICRC's responseThe ICRC is dedicated to preserving the lives and dignity of people affected by armed conflict and internal strife, to aid those suffering the consequences of war and to act as the guardian and promoter of international humanitarian law. Recognizing that conflicts have a different impact on men, women, children and the elderly, and deeply concerned about the nature and magnitude of the violations committed against women in recent conflicts, the ICRC pledged in 1999, to assess the needs of women and girls and to promote respect for them, with a particular focus on sexual violence. (Focus\Women and war) Other site23-2-2005 United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (UNDAW)(Info resources\Other sites\United Nations) Other site Other site 23-2-2005 WomenWatch (UN Internet Gateway on the Advancement and Empowerment of Women)Description of UN programmes for women. International instruments concerning women’s rights. Information on women and disarmament. Reports on UN conferences on women. News. Database of UN documents on women. List by country of organizations active in the domain. (Info resources\Other sites\United Nations) Other site 23-2-2005 UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of WomenNews. Research and training programmes. Library catalogue. Annotated list of Institute publication’s links. (Info resources\Other sites\United Nations) Other site 23-2-2005 Femmes Africa SolidaritéLinks to articles on African women. Description of organization activities. List of African and international NGOs working in behalf of women. Press releases. Conference calendar. List of organization publications. (Info resources\Other sites\Non-governmental organizations) Other site  |
