News Alert: Female IDPs in C?te dIvoire and Mali remain vulnerable to sexual violence

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At a high level panel celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Chaloka Beyani,, the Special Rapporteur on Internally Displaced Persons, highlighted how internally displaced women and girls were most affected by the violence in Côte d'Ivoire. Panellists at the meeting, which was organised by the office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights’ and the International Organisation of La Francophonie, highlighted how Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) continued to threaten security and act as an obstacle to economic and social development. The President of the Coordination of women's associations and non-governmental organisations in Mali , Ms. Oumou Tourée, testified of the high levels of violence perpetrated against women in Mali during the current crisis. Here, as with most countries with a poor record for violations against women, impunity is the major factor behind the prevalence of these crimes. For more information, visit IDMC’s pages on Côte d'Ivoire and Mali About IDMC The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) was established by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in 1998, upon the request of the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). Monitoring internal displacement caused by conflict, violence, human rights violations and natural disasters in over 50 countries, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is widely respected as the leading source of information and analysis on internal displacement throughout the world.