Refugees
and
Displaced
Women
447
Refugees are people who cross the border of their country
into another country, because they fear for their safety at home.
Displaced people are people who are forced to leave their
homes but remain in their own country. Many refugees and
displaced people are victims of a group that has gained power
and is prejudiced against the ethnic group, religion, nationality, or
political views of others. If this group controls basic resources
like food and water, people must leave their homes to survive.
Women and children make up more than 80% of refugees
and displaced people. This is because men have often died
fighting or been forced to leave their families. Like all refugees
and displaced people, women need to be protected from
forced return to their homes. They also need laws that
give them economic and social rights, so they can get basic
resources like food, shelter, clothing, and health care. As
women, they need special protection from armed attacks, and
from sexual and physical abuse.
This chapter will focus on some of the health problems
that refugee and displaced women face. Most importantly, this
chapter looks at the role these women can play in their new
communities.
➤ Out of every
10 refugees and
displaced persons
in the world, 8 are
women and children.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012