Experts assess women's war experiences

Two independent experts have begun a week-long mission to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to assess the impact of conflict on women, and women's role in the peace-building process, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) said in a news release on Monday. The former Special Representative of the Secretary-general in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elisabeth Rehn, and a member of the Organisation of African Unity Panel of Eminent Persons who investigated the genocide in Rwanda, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will publish their findings in a global report, sponsored by UNIFEM, to be released in mid-2002. It is the last in a series of field visits by experts to countries affected by conflict, UNIFEM said. "This is the first time a full-scale study on the impact of armed conflict on women and their role in peace-building has ever been conducted," Noeleen Heyzer, UNIFEM Executive Director, said. "Women in conflict areas urgently need international support to protect their human rights and support their active participation in peace processes," she added. During their visit to the Mano River countries, Rehn and Sirleaf, a former candidate for the Liberian presidency, will focus on the issues of displacement, sexual violence and the exploitation of women. They will also address problems such as unwanted pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, orphans and widowhood, UNIFEM said. In May 2000 women's groups from the three countries joined together to form the Mano River Women's Peace Network to lobby heads of state and advocate for women's participation in the region's peace process.