WUNRN
https://www.devex.com/news/we-must-protect-women-and-girls-during-crises-86385
We Must Protect Women & Girls During Crises!
Syrian women and girls register with the United Nations refugee
agency upon arrival at Arsal in Lebanon. More women than before are fleeing
conflict, persecution and poverty. In today’s crises, it is women and girls who
are paying the highest price. Photo by: M. Hofer / UNHCR /
CC BY-NC
By Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin is Executive Director of UNFPA – 22
June 2015
Recent news stories and reports
testify to a horrifying reality for women and girls caught in crisis
situations. From rape to child marriage to sexual slavery, women and girls in conflict
face severe threats and violations of their human rights that most of us cannot
begin to imagine.
While it is good news that some
of the women and girls abducted by Boko Haram were recently rescued, they face
trauma, stigma and health concerns. As we provide services to them, we cannot
forget countless others in many countries who face an ongoing nightmare of fear
and violence. An estimated 4 million Syrian women and girls of childbearing age
are in need of humanitarian assistance.
In times of crisis, all women
worry about the future and whether they will even survive. Many women become
heads of household with the sole responsibility of caring for their children.
Pregnant women fear for their health and wonder if they will deliver safely.
Women and girls who are raped are often confronted with blame and shame instead
of the loving care and support they need. And these hardships are compounded
for women who are pregnant as a result of rape.
The challenges are daunting. For
one thing, more women than before are fleeing conflict, persecution and
poverty. Many have suffered exploitation and trauma. As we see in the
Mediterranean, they risk their lives, often paying ruthless smugglers, to cross
seas and borders for a better future for themselves and their families. The
world has not seen a migrant and refugee crisis like this since World War II.
At the same time, the number and
the strength of natural disasters is rising, causing increased damage,
insecurity and demands for international humanitarian support. The complex
emergencies we are responding to include protracted conflicts, which are
further exacerbated by poor or failed governance, the consequences of climate
change, and the engagement of extremist groups claiming territory, resources
and power.
In today’s crises, it is women
and girls who are paying the highest price — as their bodies become
battlefields in war zones, and they struggle in dangerous circumstances to
maintain their dignity and the health and welfare of their families.
During this century, we have made
tremendous gains in advancing the global agenda for women, peace and security.
U.N. Security Council resolution 1325 adopted in 2000, and subsequent
resolutions have triggered new partnerships, resources, and norms and standards
to expand women’s role in peacemaking and peacebuilding, and to end sexual
violence in conflict.
When the council adopted
resolution 1820 in 2008, it sent the strongest message yet
condemning the use of sexual violence as
a weapon of war, and declared that “rape and other forms of sexual violence can
constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with
respect to genocide.”
Along with condemnation, and
increasing prosecution of these crimes, has come growing recognition that women
are more than victims. They are peacemakers, backbones of their families and
communities, and builders of recovery and resilience. Yet, the rising
acceptance of women as public leaders is juxtaposed with rising brutality
exercised by extremist groups whose ideology rejects women’s rights and public
participation, and the education of girls.
In a recent report to the U.N.
Security Council, the U.N. secretary-general outlined sexual violence in
conflict in 19 countries, noting that 2014 was “marked by harrowing accounts of
rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage being used by extremist groups,
including as a tactic of terror.”
As we work to strengthen our
humanitarian response, I cannot help but reflect on the threats facing women
and girls in different parts of the world. How can we step up our
efforts, as humanitarian and rights-based organizations, as representatives of
the international community, and as governments, so that together we can make a
big difference to these women and girls whose rights we seek to protect and
promote?
The United Nations organization
that I lead, UNFPA, is one of 13 U.N. entities that are part of U.N. Action
Against Sexual Violence in Conflict — a network focused on taking concerted
action against such violence. We are working hard to meet pressing and
unprecedented needs and also recognize that stronger action is required from
the international community.
In particular, here are three
steps the international community must take together to protect the health and
rights of women and girls in crisis situations:
First, we must summon the
resources needed to effectively and systematically prioritize and address
gender-based violence in emergencies, and deliver services to protect sexual
and reproductive health. This requires increased commitment and funding to
advance women’s health, empowerment and gender equality, to protect vulnerable
populations from gender-based violence, and to provide a full range of services
to survivors, with appropriate responses for all those who are targeted.
Second, it is time to increase
the number and readiness of experienced personnel, locally and globally, who
can deliver sexual and reproductive health services and prevent and respond to
gender-based violence. This requires personnel who are trained to meet the
medical, psychosocial, legal, security, and livelihood needs of survivors of
sexual violence in both conflict and disaster contexts. Innovation and
partnership are needed to fully utilize new technologies for training and
capacity-building, such as mobile phones and e-learning. UNFPA is strengthening
a roster of qualified experts to enable rapid response to emergencies to
protect the health and rights of women and girls.
Third, we must strengthen
accountability. In all countries affected by crisis and conflict, women and
girls are demanding their rights to health and safety, and to full and equal
participation to have a voice in shaping a better future. Protection and
accountability to people affected by crisis must be backed by political will,
corrective action and justice.
We must work together to enable
women to play their full role in peace talks, peace building and recovery, to
ensure government compliance with international law, and to bring perpetrators
of sexual violence to justice.
Accountability is at the heart of
commitments made in Security Council resolutions, the 2006 Brussels Call to
Action to Address Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond, the 2013 Call to
Action on Protecting Women and Girls in Emergencies, and at the 2014 Global
Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Never before have so many
governments and leaders pledged to end sexual violence in conflict and empower
women to play their full role in advancing peace, recovery and security. Now we
need to close the gaps.
By prioritizing health, rights,
and full participation of women in public life, we increase our prospects for a
more just, stable and peaceful world.