NEPAL: Impact of the conflict on women

March 8, 2006 -(IRIN) The United Nations in Nepal said it is concerned at how women are suffering from the Maoist insurgency that has flared up again following a four-month ceasefire. “In the past few weeks, women have been beaten to death, shot at, blown up by landmines and abducted across the country,” said Mathew Kahane, UN Resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nepal, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

The insurgency, that has claimed more than 13,000 lives over the past decade, means many women are left on their own to take care of the household - often at the mercy of rebels or the army - as men flee to the cities or to neighbouring India in search of work. That’s according to a new national study, “Changing Roles of Nepali Women due to Ongoing Conflict and its Impact,” conducted by local NGO, Samanta.

The study reported an increase in women’s poverty: absent husbands often mean months or years of destitution for female-headed households in Nepal. The report noted how vulnerable many women are to sexual abuse and rape at the hands of both rebels and security forces. Many rape cases often go unreported, out of fear of reprisals from the perpetrator.

Nepal has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 6,000 women dying every year due to pregnancy-related complications, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The rate is likely to remain high while the conflict drags on: strikes and road blockades related to the insurgency make it difficult for pregnant women to access health centres for care and treatment.

“Complications during childbirth have ended in tragedy when ambulances have been forced to turn back as a result of roadblocks and explosive devices placed on roads,” said Kahane.

From: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=52096&SelectRegion=Asia&SelectCountry=NEPAL