UNIFEM says refugee women facing “three conflicts”

A mission to assess the training needs and the effects of Burundi’s civil war on the lives of Burundi refugee women living in camps in western Tanzania observed that war has had a significant and destabilising effect on gender roles and relations between the country’s men and women. The refugees were found to be virtually under the “complete control” of various development and humanitarian relief agencies, the team said in its preliminary report. “The women in the camps are confronted with three conflicts. The conflict and war from Burundi which made them refugees, conflicts within the camp and conflict with the host community for use of meagre natural resources,” the team said. Their lives are characterised by fear and trauma with a number of cases of hypertension and miscarriages which medical attendants have attributed to the nature of conflict. Rape, sexual harassment, prostitution, promiscuity and domestic violence were other vices rife in the camps.

Although the men in the camps were portrayed as lazy, idle, drunkards, abusers, criminals and polygamous, the assessment team noted that the war has had a socio-psychological effect on both genders. It has had emotional effects and led to changing gender relations where the men especially, feel that the “women don’t need us anymore”. The war has interfered with indigenous knowledge systems whereby men have had to solve their problems in a different way to the traditional method. The critical areas of need identified were fuel, food, security in relation to gender based violence, education and training, poverty, peace and settlement of disputes. The assessment was carried as part of UNIFEM’s efforts in the mainstreaming of gender awareness.