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One in five countries in the world have used girls as child soldiers, and 100,000 are currently fighting in conflicts around the world, a new report by Plan International shows. ‘Because I am a Girl: Special Focus- in the Shadow of War’ reveals why and how girls’ rights are being violated in countries at risk of, in the midst of, or emerging from armed conflict. It shows clearly what is lost when girls’ voices are ignored and their capacities and skills go un-recognized and under-developed. “Plan is publishing the state of the world’s girls report series to bring global attention to the fact that progress towards meeting the Millennium development goals (MDG’s) – the goals set by the world’s governments in 2000 to halve world poverty by 2015 – is being hampered by a continued lack of investment in girls and young women,” said Marie Staunton, Plan UK Chief Executive. Because I am a Girl 2008 looks at extensive research from across the world and recounts the personal experiences of girls before, during and after conflicts. The report begins with the premise that the condition and position of girls’ lives matters, and that the impact of conflict on girls is far reaching and goes beyond their experiences as either combatants or victims of violence. It shows how conflict affects girls differently from boys; how their rights are ignored, their responsibilities changed, and their lives altered forever by war. It describes how discrimination against girls is in place before the fighting begins and long after it is over. The report also examines the implications of conflict for girls’ health, girls’ education, gender roles and relationship dynamics. Girls remain invisible during violent conflict, either ignored in humanitarian responses or treated simply as the victims of sexual and other types of violence. This lack of focus on girls increases their vulnerability and reduces their access to the very services they need during such insecure times. President of Liberia, and Africa’s first elected woman leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, says: “This report sheds an important and critical light on the often overlooked plight of girls in post-conflict countries that are rife with hostility which threatens their survival and potential. “Urgent intervention is required to give girls a chance to lead normal lives that include obtaining an education and access to health care.” Many young women today have little alternative but to become combatants. Sometimes this is because they are abducted and forced to serve as ‘wives’. Sometimes, joining a fighting force can be a way of gaining a degree of protection and social status, and may even be the only means of survival. According to UNAIDS: “Because of their social and economic vulnerability, young girls are more ex-posed to coercive sex, especially in conflict situations.” Figures in the report reveal: During conflict, women and girls who have been shouldered with the economic and social burdens of their communities have often taken on new roles as breadwinners, decision-makers and community leaders. Therefore, post-conflict reconstruction offers a unique opportunity to redefine gender relations and for promoting sustainable gender equality. The fact that girls and young women are not consulted in post conflict situations has serious consequences for their rights. Girls are the ones who know the risks they face during times of instability and have ideas about how to protect themselves. Families, communities, agencies and governments should listen to them and act on what they say. Graca Machel President of the Foundation for community Development chair of the GAVI Fund Board states in the preface to the report that “to discriminate against girls is not only morally indefensible, it is also economically, politically and socially unsupportable. Nowhere is this more crucial than in societies that are unstable or in countries that are emerging from conflict, where to ignore a substantial proportion of the population makes little sense.” A lack of effective targeted interventions will mean that many nations, and the girls who live in them, will remain in a cycle of insecurity for decades, which will hinder progress towards meeting the MDG’s. Plan is now calling on the United Nations to implement a complaint mechanism for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The UN CRC is the only international human rights treaty without a complaints mechanism. Girls whose rights have been violated within conflict could utilize such a complaint mechanism when domestic or regional remedies are unavailable or unworkable. Girls must be made aware of their right to seek justice and appropriate remedies be made available to all girls. The report also calls governments to use the opportunity of post conflict renewal to overhaul legal structures and introduce legislation that promotes the rights of girls and young women. Legal systems can reinforce inequality and gender discrimination. Existing laws which protect girls and young women and promote their rights must be enforced. Policies that tackle the stigma that girls in particular face once violent conflict has subsided are needed. Plan UK chief executive Marie Staunton says: “These recommendations are made in the hope that organisations and institutions at all levels will no longer ignore girls in their policy and planning. “We believe that these changes will make a significant difference. It is our duty and responsibility, both as organisations and human beings, to build a better future for the millions of girls living with conflict and its aftermath.” Read the Full Report:
The world still knows far too little about the unique and particular roles that girls play in the build-up to, during, and after conflict. This report aims to provide a comprehensive picture of girls’ experiences.
Sexual violence and rape has become not just a by-product of conflict but a deliberate tactic to destroy another’s culture and change its future population. Young women bear the brunt of this.
* 38 countries have used girl soldiers in armed conflict in the last two decades
* 200 million girls live in countries that are at risk of, in the midst of or emerging from armed conflict
* 90 per cent of victims of modern warfare are civilian with more and more women and children
* An estimated 20 million girls are out of school in war zones
http://www.plan-uk.org/becauseiamagirl/becausenews/2008launch/