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Targetting Women in War

Kamala Sarup - 10/4/2005

Women are facing multiple threats. Despite constituting more than half of the world's population, they are marginalized, violated and abused. Too many women still can not choose when or whether to become pregnant. There is no reproductive freedom for the women in Asia. They have to bear children one after the other until her husband is satisfied. A son is a must.

The lack of family planning programs in the rural areas, unwanted pregnancy due to the lack of preventive measures, criminal offenses like rape and illicit sexual relations ending in abortions lead to the death of thousands of women. Too many men remain ignorant of, or indifferent to, their responsibility for the family and its reproductive health. Yet, authorities largely failed to investigate most women's complaints of rape and abuse. The flood of publications and debate of the possible socially damaging effects of the dissemination of violence is of unbroken concern.

Along with the problem of women also has to face the problem of rehabilitating the women who were raped. A culture of silence in reporting sexual violence due to such factors as lack of confidence in law enforcement and the fear of stigmatization.

Women are facing discrimination in access to employment and education. Thousands of women in South Asia have been murdered because of dowry and parental property. Several women have been accused of practicing witchcraft.

Incomplete and weak laws prevailing about trafficking in humans control, lack of political commitment for seeking problem solution are the root causes of the continuation and increase of women trafficking.

Additionally, women are facing threats from terrorism. The terrorists are engaged in illegal trade of innocent women. There are a number of kinds of terrorists violence where women are victims because they are women. Thousands of women have been killed in recent years, and thousands more have been kidnapped for ransom. Girls, some as young as thirteen or fourteen, have been recruited into the irregular forces - guerrillas and paramilitaries - that play a primary role in the terrorists war.

Terrorists routinely recruit women and girls for combat and often force them to become fighters, human shields, and sex slaves.

Women also account for the most number of civilian casualties in wars. Thousands of women have died and many more have been injured or left homeless. War has cost over a millions women lives.

Women are being forced to carry guns. The majority of internal refugees are women and children.

Globally, media shows little interest in women's issues and among what has been covered, most is rather negative and wrong. The media does not seem to have given adequate attention to important issues that concern women's welfare. However, media also has been a source of misinformation, misperception, and negative ideas and attitudes about women's issues.

Even as tens of thousands of women from around the world have participated in the Beijing conferences, they are not empowered to use them as effective tools in their country to change their lives and the lives of others. Without poor and rural women's activism, UN decisions will not be implemented in practice, no matter how good they are on conference, books and on paper. Lack of commitment and policy implementation pose as obstacles in solving the women problem. Given the gloomy scenario, the government or International organizations have not been able to come out with concrete and effective programs.

There are many legal provisions that directly discriminate women. They suffer from exploitation and injustice. The discriminatory system has put women in a powerless, disadvantaged position right from the beginning. Although the law strongly advocates equity in principle, but women have not yet experienced that sense of equality. They are still treated as second-class citizens.

Education is imperative as it can only help women in to improve their life economically, educationally, politically and legally.