World
| Women Victims
of War – New Strategies. [World] Aiding victims of sexual violence in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, providing mother-and-child care in remote areas of
Pakistan-administered Kashmir, giving courses to female detainees in Yemen to help them
find their way in society after release – these are examples of the commitment shown
by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to carefully assessing and meeting
the specific needs of women in all aspects of its work. In the run-up to
International Women's Day, ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger expressed his satisfaction
that the organization's strategies and field operations increasingly reflected an
awareness of the special problems, the particular vulnerabilities of women. Further
progress was needed, he cautioned. "Assessing and meeting these special needs
should become a spontaneous, automatic and lasting part of all our work."
Appropriate action requires a better understanding of what happens to women when they are
caught up in armed conflict and of the particular vulnerabilities they face. That
is why women's needs should be considered as a separate issue. It is generally vital
to use female staff to speak to and work with women who have a low profile in society, far
removed from public life. For there is no better way to understand their reality,
respond adequately to their needs and otherwise improve their situation. |