* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
In countries in conflict right now, civilians are trying to raise a revolution by fighting for gaining democratic freedom from oppressive regimes. But the cost of freedom is being paid through the lives of men who went out to defend their family and dignity. Wars leave thousands of women without bread earners. Most of the war inflicted countries are also weak in terms of economic and social development, and the women in these countries are usually raised without an education and lack means to replace men when they are no longer there to support them. Once widowed, these women have to seek their own survival opportunities. But without much resources available, these women have to struggle to feed themselves and their families. Also, the countries are either still in conflict or recuperating from the after effects of war and hardly any options exist for the widows to compete in a tight job market.
In 1996, in the resolution entitled “Protection of the civilian population in periods of armed conflict”, the 26th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent urged that “strong measures be taken to provide women with the protection and assistance to which they are entitled under national and international law” (http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/report/26th-conference-report-150995-c.htm). Even the World Health Organisation recognises that the gender-based inequalities increase in situations of conflicts and what further worsens the case is that sometimes the women themselves become primary victims of conflicts.
Some of the examples of gender-based inequality and specific targeting that lead to higher morbidity and even mortality amongst widows of war include the following:
• violence targeted towards women, such as rape and other forms of sexual exploitations;
• exploitation and hunger in refugees camps for widowed women when men are in charge of food distribution;
• neglect of the special nutritional requirements of women leading to malnutrition; and,
• inadequate or inappropriate access to health services and sanitation.
For instance, when 65 years old Sara Umma’s husband was killed in crossfire in Sri Lanka, she was evicted from her village of Mullaitheevu and had to take shelter in the village of Kalpitty where the living conditions were extremely poor. Muslim Aid Sri Lanka constructed three tube wells and 20 toilets in Mullaitheevu to help widows like Sara return to their home, without compromising on their health.
Widowhood often alters the economic and social positioning of women within the family, in the house and the community. Even though the change differ between religions and cultures, widowhood affects the identity, physical safety and mobility of women. Also, the access to basic resources required for survival and the legal rights to land, property and inheritance are affected. Many a times, the widows are abandoned by close family members because of the poor financial situation and reduced resources resulting as a consequence of war.
At the very basic level, humanitarian agencies working for the cause of war widows should ensure they have access provision of food and clothing, shelter and housing options and income-generating projects. For example, Muslim Aid provided sewing training to the women who were widowed during the conflict in Iraq and were living as refugees in Baghdad to help them get familiarised with the business environment and opportunities in areas with high numbers of returnees. Charity organisations should also assist women in effectively utilising natural resources and continuing with agricultural production for food security and sustainable livelihood, when other resources are scarce.
The issues experienced by women during armed-conflicts have increasingly been gaining attention in the last few years, especially amongst the international humanitarian sector. The concern to cater to their problems more effectively is reflected through the active involvement of various international NGOs in a global movement to protect the female victims of wars and help them become self reliant.
*The copyright of this article is held by the Information and Public Affairs Department of Muslim Aid, UK. Use of its contents is allowed subject to acknowledgement. The opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent the point of view of Muslim Aid.
