7/25/2019 The Cost of War on Women

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-cost-of-war-on-women 1/1

 

You are invited to attend a

brown bag session on the

“History of the Bangsamoro

Struggle” on 6 April 2015

(Monday), 2:00-5:00pm at the

Kapayapaan Conference Room,

with guest lecturer Prof. Juvanni

 A. Caballero of Mindanao State

University—Iligan Institute of

Technology. 

PEACE MONITOR

The Cost of War on Women 

War takes a heavy toll, the most visible casualties of which are the direct com-batants, mostly able-bodied male. An estimated 100,000 to 120,000 personshave been killed between 1972-1996 in the Mindanao conflict alone. However,of this number, some 20% are reportedly civilians caught in the crossfire.  

Casualties of war are not merely the dead and injured—these include as manyas four million internally displaced persons in Mindanao since 2000. Of thedisplaced, the largest bulk is comprised of women and children, with the elderlyand the persons with disabilities accounting for another sizeable segment.  

The displacement suffered by women and children does not simply reside inthe physical dislocation from the home. Displacement may also mean econom-ic dislocation. In 2006, the poverty rate in the Autonomous Region in MuslimMindanao (ARMM) was 55.3%. But for women in the ARMM, the poverty rate

was higher at 58.9%, the figure reportedly rising in subsequent years. Further-more, the ARMM has often had the lowest elementary completion rate in thecountry. 

Displacement usually means that physical conditions in evacuation centers areunfit for social activity and family rearing, most especially for nursing mothers.Spaces for feminine hygiene are often inadequate and unsanitary. The ab-sence of reproductive health services has increased the number of pregnantwomen and subsequently increased morbidity and mortality rates. Lack of ade-quate space for families also breeds sexual violence against women and girls.  

 Another effect on women is that after the body count of men post-armed en-counter, the women of the family have to assume paternal duties. This mostoften implies having to be the sole breadwinner of the family. It also means,however, that they eventually take charge of physical security of the family. In

some instances, female kin of slain non-

state combatants take the place oftheir male partners in the battlefront.

Studies on rido show that male clan members involved suffer from very limitedmobility from their community, hence educational and economic opportunitiesbecome strained. Female family members therefore fill in the gaps. They arethe ones who are more mobile and thus, are more likely to gain greater educa-tional attainment and economic mobility than their male kin.  

Perhaps the greatest paradox in the gender dimension of conflict is that with

males taking on active combat duty, females are forced to take up new socio-

economic roles. They have to attain higher education and/or obtain greater

employment or livelihood opportunities. The challenge now is how to increase

the number of females with access to social mobility and to increase the quality

of education, livelihood and employment opportunities—short of ending conflict

outright. 

For comments & suggestions, you may e-mail peace.monitor.opapp@gmail.com 

• • • AN ISSUE DIGEST OF THE POLICY GROUP • • •

March 2015  Volume II, Issue No

NEXT

BROWN BAG

TOPICS 

 Armed Forces of thePhilippines Organizational

Structure and Rules ofEngagement 

7 May 2015  

 ____________________  

Philippine PoliticalSpectrum

11 June 2015  

SOURCES:Busran-Lao, Yasmin and Sampaco, Nawal Nassreena. Horizontal Peace Building in Mindanao: Perspectives

from a Moro Woman. March 2011. Dwyer, Leslie and Cagoco-Guiam, Rufa. Gender and Conflict in Mindanao. The Asia Foundation, 2010. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Conflict -related displacement concentrated in Mindanao. Retrieved

from http://www.internal-displacement.org/south-and-south-east-asia/philippines/figures-analysis 

National Statistical Coordination Board. 2006 Poverty Statistics for the Basic Sectors . 2006.Rodil, Rudy. Kalinaw Mindanaw: The Story of the GRP -MNLF Peace Process, 1975 -1996 . Davao City:

 Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao, 2000.