WUNRN
KAMPALA CONVENTION - African Union
Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in
Africa
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December 6, 2012 - The Kampala Convention
is an historic milestone. The first of its kind in the world, the Kampala
Convention, which came into force on 6th December 2012, is a continental
instrument that binds governments to provide legal protection for the rights
and well-being of those forced to flee inside their home countries due to
conflict, violence, natural disasters, or development projects.
40 per cent of the all the people worldwide who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflict or violence live in Africa.
There are almost four times as many internally displaced people (IDPs) as there are refugees in Africa. Unlike refugees, IDPs do not have a special status under international law.
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INTERNALLY DISPLACED WOMEN &
CHILDREN
The
often-cited statistic that as many as 80 per cent of displaced populations are
women and children fails to convey the complete devastation that displacement
visits upon women and communities. Leaving homes, property and community behind
renders women vulnerable to violence, disease and food scarcity, whether they
flee willingly or unwillingly. Internally displaced women face additional
dangers as they are often invisible to the international community within
the context of violent conflict. Camps for refugees and the internally
displaced have been criticized for not addressing women’s needs and concerns in
their design and procedure. Failure to account for women’s security and health
needs can make a camp that was intended to provide refuge a dangerous and
deadly place for women and girls. ________________________________________________________________