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The ICRC cares for all the victims of conflict but it adapts this care to meet their needs. Specific services for women affected by conflict include support for rape victims, medical care for women in places of detention, antenatal and postnatal care for mothers and babies, the provision of hygiene requisites/training and rehabilitation for female mine victims.
See complete photo collection on ICRC website
ICRC/B. Heger/V-P-SD-E-01619
Sudan. Khartoum. An elderly women
learning to walk again at the ICRC-
supported government limb-fitting centre,
which also trains prosthetic/orthotic
technicians.
Anti-personnel landmines and other
explosive remnants of war strike blindly
and senselessly, and the victims are
usually civilians. Landmine injuries can
be particularly devastating for women;
given that they are more likely to be
valued for their physical appearance and
ability to perform domestic tasks, they
may be deemed unmarriageable, or their
husbands may desert them.
REF:
ICRC/Agence O Globo/M. Cruppe/V-P-CD-E-00248
Democratic Republic of the Congo. Femme
Plus hospital, Goma. A mother with HIV.
Women in conflict and displacement
situations may be at greater risk of
contracting sexually transmitted
infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS,
because they may be forced to have sex
in exchange for food, water or the
protection that they or their children
need in order to survive.
REF:
ICRC/B. Heger/V-P-NG-E-00061
Nigeria. Oshogbo. A young man
demonstrates the use of a condom to his
peers as part of the Nigerian Red Cross
HIV/AIDS programme, which is supported
by the ICRC.
The programme teaches selected groups of
students about HIV/AIDS. In turn, these
students teach others in their
environment, promoting HIV awareness
among young people.
REF:
ICRC/W. Lembryk/V-P-CD-E-00417
Democratic Republic of the Congo. Panzi
hospital, Bukavu. Victims of sexual
violence receive treatment for their
physical and psychological injuries.
A programme for rape victims at ICRC-
supported health facilities in the
eastern part of the DRC includes
preventative treatment against infection
with HIV and other sexually transmitted
diseases. The programme also helps
victims to deal with psychological
trauma, stigma and possible rejection by
their families or communities.
REF:
ICRC/V-P-ZW-E-00041
Zimbabwe. Pumula. An ICRC doctor and a
sister from the Ministry of Health (MoH)
distribute mosquito nets to mothers.
Malaria is Zimbabwe's second biggest
killer, after AIDS. By distributing 1,
000 nets to the two most vulnerable
groups – children under five and
pregnant mothers – the ICRC and MoH aim
to drastically reduce the risk of
catching the disease. The distribution
programme ran in conjunction with
courses for nurses on malaria prevention
and treatment.
REF:
ICRC/M. Izard/V-P-CF-E-00192
Central African Republic. Nabarka. A
Central African Red Cross coordinator
explains how to fetch drinking water
without contaminating it.
Having enough fresh water for drinking,
food preparation and sanitation is
essential to the health of the entire
family. It is often women and children
who are responsible for fetching water,
which can greatly increase their risk of
suffering violence and injury from
landmines or attacks.
REF:
ICRC/B. Heger/V-P-PE-E-00287
Peru. Chorrillos high security detention
centre for women, Lima. Discussion
between an ICRC delegate and a sick
detainee in her cell.
Many female detainees do not have access
to appropriate health care, including
regular check-ups, treatment, and
medicine. In some instances, treatment
is controlled by non-medical staff who
lack the qualifications to make
appropriate medical assesments.
REF:
ICRC/V. Louis/V-P-CO-E-00192
Colombia. Buen Pastor Women's Prison,
patio 4. An ICRC delegate talks with an
inmate who is holding her four-month-old
daughter.
Women who are pregnant while in custody
need access to obstetric, prenatal and
postnatal care to ensure the safe
delivery of their babies and the well-
being of mother and child afterwards.
Nursing mothers and mothers with young
children also need proper nutrition.
Children detained with ther mothers need
to be regularly immunized against
diseases and must have regular acces to
fresh air and sunlight.
REF:
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
