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Best practices: Gender and conflict in Africa
August 2005
USAID
More than 50 percent of the world’s active violent internal and regional conflicts are in Africa. These conflicts have directly or indirectly affected over 75 percent of the region’s countries and populations, conscripted over 300,000 child soldiers, displaced over 30 million people from their homes, caused the deaths of over one million people, destroyed social and economic infrastructure, damaged the environment, weakened institutions of governance, and generally impeded equitable and sustainable development.
When rebuilding conflict-affected societies, it is necessary to develop and support measures for strengthening the governance, security, justice, economic and social institutions and capacities of the population. This is a complex task in any society, but is particularly daunting in a post-conflict setting. It is essential to draw on the assets, experiences and dedication at the local level and among all sectors of society. One social category that is often overlooked is women. Yet in most postconflict societies, women are more than 50 percent of the population and are actively engaged in peace building while addressing the basic survival needs of their families and communities. Moreover, many societies discriminate against women in ways which do not empower them to assume their full roles in society in peacetime and leave them unprepared when those burdens are thrust on them during conflicts. Women are more than just a vulnerable group during conflict-they constitute an important social force, which often plays a major role in the rebuilding of their communities.
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