While entire communities suffer the consequences of armed conflict, women and girls are particularly affected because of their status in society and their gender. Women and poverty More than 1 billion people in the world today, the great majority of whom are women, live in unacceptable conditions of poverty, mostly in developing countries. Violence against women - Women's lives continue to be endangered by violence which is directed at them simply because they are women. Violence against women knows no class, race, or age. It exists across all socio-economic groups, and it is a daily phenomenon in the lives of women throughout the world.
Refugee women face ongoing violations of their human rights.
Often, they are subject to unequal and inequitable access to food, water, shelter, and essential health care. In the international arena, Canada is considered a leader in terms of women's rights. Such involvement has also extended to other international forums, including the Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers Meetings, and the Organization of American States Inter-American Commission of Women. In 1995, CIDA expanded its WID policy into a WID and Gender Equality policy . CIDA has observed the links between the status of women and the attainment of other social and economic objectives, and in reaction CIDA has developed strategies to address the increasing feminization of poverty, and to empower women to both earn sustainable livelihoods and influence political and economic decision makers.