Africa/Global: International Women's Day: Working with women affected by war

Press release ICRC
5 March 2004

International Women's Day: Working with women affected by war

What factors increase the risk of sexual violence for women in wartime?
What problems must women cope with when the family breadwinner goes
missing? Why is it important to facilitate family visits for detained
women?

Geneva (ICRC) ­ To mark International Women's Day on 8 March, the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is launching an operational
manual ­ Addressing the Needs of Women Affected by Armed Conflict: An ICRC
Guidance Document ­ that deals with questions such as the above.

While International Women's Day is a symbolic occasion to pay tribute to
women around the globe, it should be celebrated with more than words and
gestures. It should also be marked by concrete action to improve the plight
and preserve the dignity of women in wartime. The ICRC hopes that its new
manual will prove useful to policy-makers and humanitarian workers seeking
to achieve this aim.

Women's experience of armed conflict is multi-faceted, including
deprivation, isolation, loss of relatives, increased responsibility for
dependants, physical and economic insecurity, detention and increased risk
of sexual violence, injury and even death. The manual is intended to be a
practical and thought-provoking guide to these issues and to help readers
develop appropriate responses. The advice and recommendations it contains
are based on the ICRC's research and experience in this field.

The manual translates the results of the ICRC's Women Facing War study
(published in 2001) into a practical tool for ensuring that humanitarian
programmes and services adequately address the needs of women in wartime.
It is not meant to be read from cover to cover but to be consulted as
specific needs arise. Each chapter contains a concise description of a
particular problem, various points that should be taken into consideration
when attempting to deal with it, an outline of the relevant legal framework
and practical examples based on existing programmes and activities.

The plight of women can be improved if international humanitarian law is
respected. The challenge lies in putting existing law into practice. There
are a number of steps that can and must be taken to maximize the legal
protection afforded to women in wartime and the guidance document explains
what they are in clear and simple terms.

While the manual is primarily an operational tool for ICRC staff, it has
been written in such a way as to make it a useful guide for other
humanitarian organizations working with and for women. The publication of
this document fulfils a commitment undertaken by the ICRC at the 27th
International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 1999.

For further information, please contact:
Florence Tercier Holst-Roness, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 3451
Ian Piper, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 2063 or ++41 79 217 3216