Millions of women and children living rough - UNICEF

Ugandan authorities should prioritise the needs of some 3 million women and 3.5 million children living in the most disadvantaged communities, including camps for internally displaced people in the war-torn northern region, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said. "On the occasion of the 2006 International Women's Day, the government and its developmental partners [must] ensure that this vulnerable group remains high on the national agenda," UNICEF said in a statement on Wednesday. The women and children battle the triple challenges of chronic poverty, chronic disease and chronic insecurity. Many "are marginalised and denied access to basic healthcare, education, safe water, sanitation and protection," the agency said. In particular, the estimated 1.3 million women and children living in camps for the displaced in northern Uganda - where squalid conditions further expose them to risks of violence, exploitation, abuse and HIV/AIDS - need closer attention. "Women such as those in the IDP [internally displaced persons’] camps not only experience hardships on a daily basis, they are also denied the opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their well-being and that of their children," said Martin Mogwanja, the UNICEF representative in Uganda. "While the past two decades have been marked by substantive progress for women in Uganda, the situation of women and children in disadvantaged situations requires much more attention," he added. Mogwanja pledged UNICEF’s commitment to work with the Ugandan government to help disadvantaged and vulnerable communities in the country "to ensure that their rights to survival, development, protection and participation are progressively realised." International Women's Day has been observed on 8 March since 1975, in recognition of the importance of women's participation, equality and in achieving peace, social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and to acknowledge the contribution women have made to strengthening international peace and security.