Women

Female Genital Mutilation

Democratic Republic of Congo / Burundian refugees /A woman with her child in Kavimvira transit centre run by UNHCR in Uvira, DRC's South Kivu Province. 700 vulnerable Burundian refugees are hosted in Kavimvira transit centre. The majority are women and children. More than 9000 Burundians refugees have crossed into the DRC over the past few weeks. The new arrivals are being hosted by local families, but the growing numbers are straining available support. UNHCR is helping some 700 vulnerable refugees at a transit centre at Kavimvira and in another centre at Sange. Work is ongoing to identify a site where all the refugees can be moved, and from where they can have access to facilities such as schools, health centers and with proper security. / UNHCR / Federico Scoppa / May 2015./ UNHCR / Federico Scoppa / May 2015

In some societies, women and girls face discrimination and violence every day, simply because of their gender. An ordinary task like collecting water or going to the toilet can put them at risk of rape or abuse.

In times of displacement, this problem escalates. Women and girls make up around 50 per cent of any refugee, internally displaced or stateless population, and those who are unaccompanied, pregnant, heads of households, disabled or elderly are especially vulnerable.

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At UNHCR, we work hard to ease their struggle, ensuring safe shelters that offer privacy, assistance with construction or maintenance, fair food distribution systems and separate sanitation facilities. We also manage programmes that help women to improve their leadership skills, overcome barriers to education, and access opportunities.

Our work builds upon women’s own resilience and strength, and helps them to improve their lives, as well as those of their children, families and communities, every single day.

Who we work with

UNHCR is just one of many organizations working around the world to help displaced women and girls.

We take part in a number of inter-agency fora that address gender issues and sexual violence, such as the UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Sub-Working Group on Gender. The UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, gathering UNHCR and other UN agencies, was set up to highlight and create awareness of abuses against women and, ultimately, to end sexual violence and make the world safer for women and girls.