|
|
What’s currently happening to former girl combatants in the DRC is almost a carbon copy of what happened when the war ended in Liberia and Sierra Leone, where demobilisation and re-integration efforts of the government and international organisations not only marginalised women combatants, but in effect pretended they never existed.
As had happened in Liberia, then Sierra Leone, and now in the DRC, the invisibility of female combatants have led to their impoverishment, isolation, disappearance and being forced to stay with the men who’ve held them in sexual slavery. The need for African women’s and feminist groups to demand the equal treatment of women in war and peace has never been more urgent.
Karen Williams
(Karen Williams is a South African journalist working in Africa and Asia. This article is part of the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service that provides fresh views on everyday news.)
|
Tags
You must be logged in to add tags.
|
Comments
You must be a TakingITGlobal member to post a comment. Sign up for free or login.
|
|
