The Zambian government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have reiterated their commitment to empowering refugee women and girls living at Maheba and Mayukwayukwa camps in Zambia
UNHCR Information Officer Kelvin Shimo told ZANIS in a statement that government and the UNHCR reaffirmed their commitment to the empowerment of and the support to refugee women and girls in countries that in conflicts.
Mr. Shimo said 10 female refugees based in Maheba, Mayukwayukwa settlements and the urban areas made presentations on the great need to protect the women folk who are refugees.
The women made their presentations at the fifth regional dialogue with refugee women which ended yesterday.
He said during the meeting, the 10 female refugees represented over 80 women and men to discuss issues surrounding ten central themes that included shelter, health, education, economic self reliance, sexual and gender based violence among others.
He said the idea of the dialogue was to identify the major protection problems faced by the refugee women and to support their solutions for improvements.
Mr. Shimo noted that part of the solution to the problem can be achieved by the refugees themselves with the help of UNHCR, the Zambian government and the donor community.
He stated that the ten women raised some serious concerns which they face.
He explained that among the issues are concerns of violence and rape, adding that the number of rape cases of children as young as four years were a major concern in refugee camps.
Mr. Shimo lamented that women fear to leave their children alone at home or send them to schools where protection safety cannot be guaranteed.
He said medical care and staff are also limited in refugee camps, making the lives of women and young people limited.
And UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Elisa Feller, said it is the responsibility of everyone to empower the refugee women with skills which can make them more independent.
Mrs. Feller said it was a pity that there are inadequate schools in these refugee camps to cater for the population.
She said lack of scholarships has further made the young refugee girls to drop out of school early, a situation which has forced them into early marriages.
She described this situation as unfortunate.
Mrs. Feller said something should urgently be done to protect these women refugees to better their living standards because it was not their wish to be refugees.
ZANIS
