Yet, too often immigration officers and judges consider rape and assault, even when done by officials, as private acts and not as a form of persecution against a woman who belongs to a particular political party or has a certain belief or ethnic origin. Refugee women remain physically vulnerable in the country of asylum. The process of displacement destroys community structures and traditional roles, exposing refugee women and girls to physical violence and exploitation. Recently we developed special programmes for Somali refugees and for Bosnians. Greater awareness of the problem helps generate public support for the victims and pressure against the perpetrators.
Information is an indispensable tool of protection.
Therefore, I welcome the attention which the Human Rights Commission has given to the issue of violence against women. I hope that in carrying out her mandate, the Special Rapporteur appointed by the Commission will take into account of the plight of refugee and displaced women. Physical and sexual violence is only one aspect of the hardship which refugee and displaced women face. When their fathers, husbands or sons are killed or are engaged in the conflict, the women must learn to take on new responsibilities in exile. We have long realised that indiscriminate distribution of assistance among refugees does not benefit men and women equally.