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DAKAR, Senegal - West African women are at greater risk of domesticviolence following conflict, according to the International RescueCommittee. The group says physical and emotional abuse have adevastating impact on women in countries where the scars ofpolitical conflict have not yet fully healed. When Fatima, a woman living in rural Liberia, was unable to go tothe market to buy the ingredients to make dinner for her family,her husband came home and beat her. He took a kitchen knife, the knife Fatima would normally have usedto slice vegetables, and cut three fingers from his wife's lefthand. The reason she was unable to go to the market was that herhusband had refused her money to do so. Pervasive violence behind closed doors Fatima's story is just one of many cases of severe domesticviolence, both physical and emotional, experienced by women livingin post-conflict countries in West Africa, according to theInternational Rescue Committee. A new IRC report explains fighting does not stop after conflictsend, instead it often continues behind closed doors in communitiesand homes where women bear the brunt of post-conflict tensions. TheIRC calls the violence "alarming, pervasive andhorrific." "Conflict increases women's risk to violence of all forms.Domestic violence in war and post-war settings, and morespecifically the silence around it, is surprising given what weknow about its prevalence. What we see during war time is thatviolence that was once very private often becomes verypublic," said IRC global women's protection and empowermentprograms director Heidi Lehmann. Using money to assert control She said women frequently report incidents of emotionalmanipulation alongside acts of violence. Lehmann said money oftenis used as a tool to control women and prevent them leaving abusivehusbands. In many cases, women are trapped in unhappy marriages and lack thefinancial means to stand up to their husbands or seek emotional andmedical support. IRC President George Rupp said domestic violence in post-conflictcommunities is more likely after wars fought along ethnic lines orbetween rebel groups that used fear tactics to intimidate opposingcommunities. Creating programs to help women He said an increased focus on violence in the aftermath of conflictis crucial and that programs should be designed based on thesolutions called for by affected women. Sierra Leone recently passed a law criminalizing domestic violence,which Lehmann said is promising. But she said it is important tomake sure the law is applied. Lehmann also said she hopes other countries, including Liberia,will follow in Sierra Leone's footsteps. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Portable Speakers For Laptops , China Portable USB Hubs, and more. For more , please visit Hands Free Bluetooth Speaker today!
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