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Working for Women Worldwide - Embassy of the United States

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Building Peace in<br />

War-Torn Countries<br />

War is tragic <strong>for</strong> everyone touched by it. But women<br />

caught in conflict are doubly, sometimes triply, victimized.<br />

With husbands, bro<strong>the</strong>rs, and fa<strong>the</strong>rs away fighting, in<br />

hiding, or dead, many women in war-torn countries are<br />

zresponsible <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> survival <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir families.<br />

<strong>Women</strong> at Abu Shouk camp, in North<br />

Darfur, Sudan, where more than<br />

40,000 displaced people receive food<br />

and shelter.<br />

Many have been <strong>for</strong>ced to leave <strong>the</strong>ir homes and crowd<br />

into refugee camps, where <strong>the</strong>y vie <strong>for</strong> food, water, fuel,<br />

and basic health care <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong>mselves and <strong>the</strong>ir children.<br />

Displaced women and girls are especially vulnerable to<br />

sexual violence and exploitation, such as trafficking,<br />

which in turn put <strong>the</strong>m at risk <strong>of</strong> psychological trauma,<br />

sexually transmitted diseases, including<br />

HIV/AIDS, and separation from <strong>the</strong>ir families.<br />

<strong>Women</strong> who were denied education, jobs, and<br />

human rights under repressive regimes are ill-prepared<br />

to play a role in rebuilding <strong>the</strong>ir nations once<br />

armed conflict ends. Yet <strong>the</strong>ir participation is vital to<br />

<strong>the</strong> future <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir countries.<br />

The Bush administration has made support <strong>for</strong><br />

women in war-torn countries a priority. “If we can<br />

succeed in advancing opportunities <strong>for</strong> women and<br />

assuring <strong>the</strong>ir full inclusion in <strong>the</strong> political and economic<br />

reconstruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir countries, <strong>the</strong> better <strong>the</strong><br />

chance that those nations will be free and democratic,<br />

prosper, and remain peaceful and stable,” says<br />

Charlotte Ponticelli, senior coordinator <strong>for</strong> international<br />

women’s issues at <strong>the</strong> U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> State.<br />

Within countries in conflict, <strong>the</strong> mission <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> U.S.<br />

government is two-fold: to aid women in enduring <strong>the</strong><br />

rigors <strong>of</strong> war and to prepare <strong>the</strong>m to participate fully<br />

in building <strong>the</strong> peace.<br />

Surviving War<br />

Within countries embroiled in conflict, <strong>the</strong> State<br />

Department, and particularly its Bureau <strong>of</strong><br />

Population, Refugees, and Migration, supports programs<br />

to improve protection and living standards <strong>for</strong><br />

women and girls and to increase <strong>the</strong>ir participation in<br />

44

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