The Kampala Convention: Making it work for women (NRC)

A briefing paper published this week by NRC: 'The Kampala Convention: Make it work for women', aims to improve protection for displaced women and girls. It is based on NRC’s legal assistance (ICLA) programmes  in South Sudan, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Côte d’Ivoire; countries with some of the highest levels of internal displacement: See link in http://www.nrc.no/?did=9210968#.Vmp2VL9u4Yr

(From the web page): For the nearly six million women and girls displaced in Africa, the violations are particularly acute. Many experience discriminatory practices including the eviction of widows, and denial of inheritance and marital property rights. These practices disproportionally affect women and contribute to the cycle of violence continuing long after conflict ends.

“The longer the security of these women and girls remains in limbo, the less able they are to protect and care for their families. Women who don’t know what the future holds are less likely to invest in their communities, which in turn makes them even more vulnerable. Implementing the Kampala Convention is a critical component of breaking this cycle of insecurity”