I have just returned from a trip to four countries in southern Africa where I saw for myself how repatriation to Mozambique is progressing. Displacement is often preceded and accompanied by physical violence. We all recall with horror how mass rape has been used in former Yugoslavia to threaten and expel whole communities. It is not the only example of gender-based persecution. 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.