Women and War

"Each week the women from my group go together to the soldiers' barracks to beg for food. There is no room for shame when you are hungry and don't have jobs. We are the last on everyone's list - a forgotten group of women. That is why we meet together, so we can talk about our experiences and try to find ways to survive." -Director of the Association of Women Prison Camp Survivors, Sarajevo, Bosnia

Survival
While media coverage of women during war and conflict zones often focuses on the victimization of the female population, little is said about the victories women make in waging peace. FAIR Fund's support to women's organizations - such as the Women Prison Camp Survivors in Sarajevo Bosnia - highlights the successes and amazing coping networks found amongst female war survivors. The women's empowerment movements found in these regions are deeply connected to the experiences of loss, rape, and total desperation that many women still suffer due to the consequences of war. Their underground networks and active support of ethnic diversity during the conflicts aided in building new stability in regions unaccustomed to justice and civil society for all.

Peace-building
Women's knowledge of the families and homes around them give them unique skills in understanding the everyday needs of the community. This knowledge enables them to have a unique perspective that should not be ignored during (the) peace-building efforts of local and national governments.

Women's participation in the rebuilding of their governments and cities will enhance the viability of these countries developing civil societies. Even though the journalists have ended their stories on war, women's suffering continues in forms of ethnic and gender discrimination, violence, and the loss of traditionally male-orientated jobs. Women continue to search for a way to rebuild their families, homes, and communities amidst regions still dominated by a patriarchal society that does not listen to women's demands for protection and support. Thus, women have turned to their own network of allies and supporters.

Counseling
In a post-conflict society, the focus on reconstruction often leaves counseling, and psycho-social support off its agenda. Amidst the rebuilding of the local and national infrastructures and economies, women struggle to deal with the loss of husbands, children, family and friends. Having to cope with these problems on their own, they often become severely depressed and unable to obtain jobs or interact with others. Unemployment and complete dependence on remaining family deepens the stress. Studies across the world show that post-traumatic stress syndrome appears years after the trauma occurs. These women need private and group counseling to overcome these challenges and ultimately begin to participate in their new civil societies.