Burundi, DRC among worst places to be a woman

Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are among the world's five worst conflict zones in which to be a woman or a child, according to a new report issued by the international NGO Save the Children, ahead of Mothers' Day to be marked on 11 May. "Women and children in these countries endure terrible suffering as a result of armed conflict and insecurity," the NGO reported, naming the other three countries as Afghanistan, Angola and Sierra Leone. According to Save the Children's report, titled "State of the World’s Mothers", some four million women and six million children under 15 years are "imperiled by war in these five countries alone". The report featured a "conflict protection scorecard" that analysed 40 ongoing conflicts in the world, indicating where the safety and security of mothers and children were most at risk. The scorecard addressed types of protection needed by women and children in war zones. These included protection from sexual violence, trafficking and prostitution, military recruitment of children, psychological trauma and family separation. Among other recommendations, the report urged the United States Congress to pass, and President George Bush to sign into law, the "Women and Children in Armed Conflict Protection Act of 2003", which the NGO said would set aside US $45 million so that US government agencies that provided humanitarian aid would include a women's and children's protection component "every time they give emergency help". The "State of the World’s Mothers" report is available at: www.savethechildren.org