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Women in conflict

'It is now more dangerous to be a woman than to be a soldier in modern conflict'

The most common impact of conflict on women is the use of rape as a weapon of war. It is used to fracture, destabilise and demoralise the community as well as a tool to reshape the ethnic balance of a community.

Thousands of women in Congo have been physically and mentally scarred for life with the war that has been ravaging the country for the last decade.

Justine Masika Bihamba has been supporting these women since the conflicts began in the early '90s. The film below portrays Justine and the work of her organization - Synergy for Women Victims of Sexual Violence - based in Goma, Eastern DRC.

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Justine BihambaDRC: Protect human rights defender Justine Masika Bihamba Justine and her family have been attacked because of her work for women's rights. 

Good news

Women activists in Sierra LeoneFollowing pressure from activists working on women, peace and security, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1820 on sexual violence in situations of armed conflict. Read more on the Women, Peace and Security website

Rape as a weapon of war

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Since 1998, rape has been recognised as a war crime and a crime against humanity - but it still persists.

Other effects of rape in these contexts

  • Women and children refugees and internally displaced populations targeted for exploitation, abuse and trafficking.
  • Women become restricted to their homes as they are vulnerable to attack, yet it is women who are expected to try to keep family and home running as normally as possible for the children. Finding food and fuel, trying to respond to health and education needs all become impossible.
  • There is extensive evidence that during conflict, levels of domestic and sexual violence among the community 'hosting' the conflict increases in both quantity and severity and these escalated levels remain high long after the conflict is over.
  • All too often women are ignored in the post conflict reconstruction period with little or no representation on tribunals trying war crimes or working for reconciliation and neither they nor their issues represented in new constitutions.

The cases of Iraq and Afghanistan are instructive and particular as the plight of women was often cited as one of the concerns that were to justify military action, yet as time goes on we do not see this translated into reality.

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