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Gender and Conflict
It is estimated that close to 90 per cent of current war casualties are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children, compared to a century ago when 90 per cent of those who lost their lives were military personnel. Although entire communities suffer the consequences of armed conflict, women and girls are particularly affected because of their status in society and their sex.
Parties in conflict situations often rape women, sometimes using systematic rape as a tactic of war. Other forms of violence against women committed in armed conflict include murder, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy and forced sterilization.
Women around the world experience conflict differently. While each conflict situation is unique, with particular historical, political, social and cultural factors, many of the phenomena and issues are common. The following are some the key cross cutting issues that women face before, during and after violent conflict covered by the United Nations Development Fund for Women ( UNIFEM) portal.
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