Red Cross urges action for women in war |
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Many women are unable to benefit from post-war peace because they face the additional burden of finding out what happened to missing male relatives, says the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The committee is using International Women's Day on 8 March to draw attention to the plight of women such as Ashwak, an Iraqi refugee now living in Jordan, who spent more than four months searching for her husband.
"For those trying to trace a missing child, husband or father, peace in their country does not automatically bring peace of mind, because abandoning their quest would seem like a betrayal," says the ICRC.
The hardship for women is often exacerbated by their lack of skills and training which leaves them unable to support their family in the absence of the main breadwinner and by their undefined legal status which can affect property and inheritance rights and the chance of re-marrying.
Florence Tercier, head of the ICRC's programme to help women in war, said that "everything possible must be done to prevent disappearances and to provide the women left behind with the support they need".
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page last updated on 07.03.2008
