Women, children suffer most in wars, NGO says

Women and children face increasing brutality in modern conflicts, Save the Children USA, reported on Thursday. In countries at war they had increasingly become casualties of deliberate, systematic violence and were more defenceless against hunger, injury, disease, forced military servitude and sexual exploitation, it added. In its third "State of the World’s Mothers 2002: Mothers and Children in War" report, Save the Children said that in a survey of 105 countries, 33 out of 50 that ranked lowest in mothers’ and childrens’ wellbeing had experienced recent conflict or hosted large refugee populations. The bottom 10 countries included Niger (105), Burkina Faso (104), Guinea- Bissau ( 103), Mali (100), Ethiopia (100), Guinea (98), The Gambia (98), and Benin (96). Of these, five had experienced conflict. Top were Switzerland, Canada, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. "The nature of war has changed in recent decades, putting mothers and children at greater risk of death, disease, displacement and exploitation. Women and children are killed, maimed and exploited as opposing forces seek to destroy each other," the NGO said. The report said modern wars had taken a brutal toll on millions of women and children, stripping away their basic necessities like homes, schools, jobs, and health care. Women and children accounted for 28 million of the world's 35 million refugees, and in the last 10 years, two million children were killed during wars, it added. "Survival of children is linked to the wellbeing of mothers. (There is a) critical link between mother and child, particularly during conflict when mothers are often the only ones to hold their families and entire communities together. With access to basic tools, mothers can minimize the physical and psychological damage of war on their children. The tools include education, economic opportunities, maternal and child health care, including family planning and psychological support," the report said. Findings on children indicated that Afghanistan ranked lowest among 155 countries. One in every six children was found to die before the first birthday, 71 percent were not enrolled in school, 88 percent had no access to safe water, and 25 percent suffered from moderate or severe malnutrition. A woman in Afghanistan was 1,200 times more likely to die in childbirth than a woman in Switzerland. "This year's report documents the horrific consequences of the world's failure to protect women and children in war and conflict," Charles MacCormack, president of Save the Children, said. "But with increased investments in women and mothers, we can provide a lifeline to these children and, at the same time, help ensure successful transition from war and disaster to peace and stability." The report is available at http://www.savethechildren.org/mothers