Refugee girls: the invisible faces of war, published by Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 2009

Source: Eldis

More than 140 million girls live in fragile states affected by armed conflict. As they flee from war, girls face many dangers, including rape, landmines, gunfire and hunger. They may be recruited into armed forces or captured by traffickers, or they may fall ill. As they try to navigate through the chaos and confusion around them, family members may be left behind. Men and boys may stay and fight, or remain to protect the family’s land and possessions. This book tells the untold story of the millions of refugee girls whose voices are almost never heard.

The document talks with refugee girls and reflects their stories and experiences, recounting stories. Areas discussed include violence suffered by girls, girls at war, life in refugee camps, education and earning a living. The document explains why tackling some of these issues provides cause for great hope. The following points are made:

• even for a problem as intractable as the AIDS epidemic, we know that the education of girls will best mitigate the spread of the disease
• educated girls not only improve their own welfare, but also the well-being of their children and families, thus transforming societies as a whole
• education can play a vital role in promoting peace and stability, and in preventing fragile states from falling back into conflict. Educating refugee youth during their displacement provides a critical foundation for rebuilding successful economic, social and political systems upon their eventual return home
• in its visits to 10 refugee camps in Chad in 2005, the Women’s Refugee Commission found that in more than half of the camps, refugee communities had started schools on their own, even before the arrival of any humanitarian aid workers.

To download the full document, click here

Photo credit:  Pink Sherbet Photography

Written by: Federica Lomiri

Filed Under: Gender, Publications

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About Federica

Socio-economic analyst for developing countries. Membership Officer in SID.

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