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Women and War SPECIAL REPORT Women and War International Committee of the Red Cross, External Resources, 19 Avenue de la Paix, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, T + 41 22 734 6001, E-mail: [email protected], www.icrc.org The purpose of this report is to provide an update of the ICRC's actions since the publication of the Women facing War study and the subsequent commitment to the identification of and response to both the general and specific needs of women affected by conflict. Women and War Special Report Women and War / Special Report / March 2003 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 5 The Study 7 Background and methodology 7 General conclusions of the study 7 Plan of Action 10 Implementation 11 Implementation through ICRC delegations worldwide 13 Resource Allocation 22 Challenges Ahead 22 Annex Women and War material 23 Women and War / Special Report / March 2003 5 Preface he specific situation of women affected by Just as the situation faced by women in wartime armed conflict was one of the issues varies from place to place and from context to Taddressed by the 27th International Red context so too do the responses needed to assist Cross and Red Crescent Conference (Geneva, and protect women who have suffered or who are October 1999). The ICRC took this opportunity to suffering from their exposure to war. The situa- pledge that it would take appropriate action to tions and contexts faced by these women are assess and address the specific protection, often unique and each needs to be assessed in health and assistance needs of women and girls its own right; programmes therefore are often affected by armed conflict to alleviate the plight of required to be tailored to the specific realities that the most vulnerable. It insisted on the need for all the ICRC encounters in its assessments in the parties to a conflict to respect women and girls, field. In practical terms this means, for example, and emphasized that all forms of sexual violence that a programme in one country to assist women are prohibited. who have survived sexual violence may not be appropriate in another country (and sometimes Despite a full panoply of laws to protect women in even within different parts of the same country). war, including international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law, women con- The ICRC's commitment to Women and War is tinue to suffer unnecessarily in wartime, because just as strong - if not stronger - today than it was the laws that are meant to protect them are all too in 1998 when the study was initiated. Its work for frequently not respected and/or implemented. women facing war will continue. Yet, the fact The ICRC is determined to increase its efforts to remains that women are suffering unnecessarily ensure that these laws are implemented and it in wartime. Why? For the simple reason that the will continue to strengthen, where necessary, its laws to protect them, of which there are many, action in favour of women affected by armed con- are all too frequently disregarded. The challenge flict. is to increase respect for and implementation of these laws. The title of the ICRC study on the impact of armed conflict on women, and the accompanying video, is Women facing War. For the ICRC, this title summed up the fact that women are faced Charlotte Lindsey with the day-to-day consequences of hostilities in Head of Women and War Project trying to go about their lives, and facing the dan- gers, obstacles and losses in trying to hold together their lives and those of their families, as well as the fact that some women face war as members of armed forces or groups. The Women facing War study describes the numerous initia- tives that the ICRC has undertaken to try to ensure and reinforce observance of legal instru- ments designed to protect women and girls affected by armed conflict and is endeavoring to ensure that its conclusions and recommenda- tions are translated into action. Women and War / Special Report / March 2003 7 The Study Background and methodology comprehensive response to sexual violence l it is important to involve women in the assess- Three years ago, the ICRC conducted a study ment, implementation and evaluation of pro- aimed at improving its understanding of the spe- grammes and activities carried out in their cific impact of armed conflict on women. The favour study, known as Women facing War, assessed l in its focus on women, the Women facing War the needs of women in war, the protection pro- study does not negate the needs of men vided for women by international humanitarian l in the waging of today’s war, parties to armed law, human rights law and refugee law, and ICRC conflict are more and more often not distin- activities on behalf of women throughout its guishing between combatants and civilians. worldwide operations. The blurring of this distinction risks an unac- ceptable spiral towards “total war” (i.e. any The study was published in English in October civilian, solely through their presence in an 2001 and later published in French, Spanish, area where war is being waged, risks being Arabic and Russian. Based on this work, the targeted by a party to an armed conflict.) ICRC drew up a plan of action that focused on l access to victims and conflict-affected areas is helping it implement the findings of the study (and absolutely essential in order to try to put a stop its pledge), with the desired effect being the to violations and/or to try to bring assistance improvement in quality, relevance and impact of and protection to affected persons. ICRC programmes. The study concluded that: women are not solely The ICRC study Women facing War, focused on “victims” or “vulnerable” in need of protection and such issues as physical safety, sexual violence, assistance. It drew attention to the fact that displacement, access to health care and hygiene, women take part in armed conflicts as members food, water and shelter, the problem of missing of the regular armed forces or armed groups and relatives and its impact on survivors, access to in their support services. This means that women personal documentation, access to sources of in such circumstances cannot be automatically livelihood, as well as the situations of detention labelled as “vulnerable”. Women are also politi- and internment. cians, leaders of non-governmental organisa- tions, social and political groups, and active par- General conclusions of the ticipants in peace campaigns. Women facing War study As members of the civilian population, women l Women should not be considered solely as have important, and often crucial, social and “victims” or “vulnerable” household economic roles, as well as skills that l women experience armed conflicts in a multi- enable them to deal with the increased stresses tude of ways and burdens placed on them in wartime. For l international humanitarian law, human rights example, women have initiated small enterprises and refugee law afford protection according to and income-generating projects with meagre the needs of women in situations of armed resources within their devastated communities conflicts and within camps for the displaced. Women in l women suffer in war today not because of an wartime show tremendous courage and absence of law, but because of the lack of resilience as survivors and as heads of house- implementation of, and/or respect for, existing holds - a role that many of them have had little or laws no preparation for and which is made more diffi- l sexual violence is unacceptable and not cult by the social constraints often imposed upon inevitable. There needs to be a much more them. 8 Women and War / Special Report / March 2003 A woman enjoys a quiet moment with her child at an ICRC distribution point The vulnerability of different groups - whether bearers of culture and ethnic identity, as well as male, female, elderly or infant - will differ, accord- the producers of the future generations of their ing to their exposure to a given problem, their community. In such situations women may be vul- capacity to deal with it and its impact on the group nerable to attack or threats from their own com- concerned. Vulnerability, as such, does not fit into munity for not conforming to this role. Conversely, an easily determined category or definition - an adversary may target women in an effort to especially where women are concerned. It is subvert or destroy their function in this role. therefore in accordance with the specific nature Victims are often reticent, as well, to speak about of each situation and the different factors involved or to report incidents of sexual violence. Many that groups of women could be identified as being times, when such a crime becomes known, particularly at risk and in need of special assis- women can be ostracized from their community tance, e.g. pregnant women, nursing mothers, and even risk injury, imprisonment or death. widows, mothers of small children or female heads of household. The study determined that, on the whole, interna- tional law adequately covers the needs of women It should also be recognised that women are par- in situations of armed conflict, when the three ticularly susceptible to marginalization, poverty bodies of law – international humanitarian law, and the suffering engendered by armed conflict, human rights and refugee law in particular – are especially when they are already victims of dis- taken together. This means that sexual violence, crimination in peacetime. Women may be partic- in all its forms, as well as indiscriminate attacks, ularly vulnerable if they are held up as “symbolic” violence and threats are prohibited under interna- Women and War / Special Report / March 2003 9 tional humanitarian law.
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