Africa: Women in Armed Opposition Groups

This report covers the key protection and obligations for women and girls in armed opposition groups under international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHR). In seeking to learn more about the experiences of women and girls within armed opposition groups and to answer questions about their potential roles in promoting IHL and IHR, a unique workshop was held in August 2004, in Geneva, Switzerland. During the four day workshop, 32 women from 18 armed opposition groups met with a small group of peace and human rights activists, humanitarian actors, and scholars. Drawing on the voices of the 32 women present from 18 armed opposition groups as well as previous relevant studies, the report investigates the ways in which women and girls enter into armed opposition groups and their active participation within the groups.