“Experiences and Priorities of War Affected Female Youth in Africa” Dr. Dyan Mazurana

2. “Experiences and Priorities of War Affected Female Youth in Africa” Dr. Dyan Mazurana Feinstein International Center Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Tufts University

3. Female Youth War Experiences: Suffer Similarly to Men and Boys • Targeted with the same weapons • Suffer social and economic dislocation • Loss of shelter • Shortage of medicine, food and water • Physical and psychosocial impact of violence • Effects of violence prior to, during and after flight • Increased malnutrition, disease, morbidity and mortality • Environmental damage and resource depletion

4. Female Youths’ War Experiences: Attacks on Social Security Nets • Destruction of already weak education, health, social services, and infrastructure • Teachers flee as schools close • Medical personnel flee and clinics without necessary medicines • Family members may flee or be recruited, killed or disappeared, particularly males • Frontlines of defense and security nets for girls weaken and fail

5. Female Youth War Experiences: Targeting Girls • Women and girls are viewed as cultural bearers and reproducers of ‘the enemy’ and become prime targets • Gender-based and sexual violence purposefully used as weapons of warfare • Genocide, ethnic cleansing, killing, torture, rape, abduction, disappearance, forced impregnation, forced abortion, sexual slavery, trafficking, and the intentional spread of STIs -- attacks show attention to gender

6. Attacks Against Males: Repercussions for Female Youth • Males killed, flee, disappeared, recruited • Female youth ↑ land, livelihood, labor, child care, feeding and security of family • Challenges with land access and claims • ↑ risk for early marriage or sexual relations • ↑ risk leaving school • ↓ ability to generate income • ↓ health and nutritional status

7. War Affected Female Youth Priorities:Education and Livelihood Options • Key priority is access to education • Too old to go to primary, but no qualifications for higher levels • ↓ of accelerated ed. programs • Many have children • Girl mothers not allowed in school, no provision for child care • High school diploma necessary for sustainable jobs

8. War Affected Female Youth Priorities:Education and Livelihood Options • Collective income generation • Individual girls often undermined by family or boyfriends • Collectives often formed by victims serious violence • Agriculture • Most rural females subsistence agriculture • Important for family survival • Lack decision making and control over land and property (younger males ↑ power)

9. War Affected Female Youth Priorities:Health • Physical injuries inhibit school, work, functionality • Reproductive health injury, including fistula • Specialized, expensive care • Reproductive health and family planning • Health care for their children

10. War Affected Female Youth in Africa:Context Recommendation • Pay attention to the ways women and girls are situated socially, culturally, economically and politically within their societies and nations. • Before, during and after conflict • War exacerbates discrimination • Recognize female youth marginalization and vulnerability increases due to war

11. War Affected Female Youth in Africa:Education Recommendation • Consider all means to enable older female youth to obtain their education • Accelerated, girl mothers, high school diplomas, vocational training • Consider collective livelihoods opportunities for female youth

12. War Affected Female Youth in Africa:Health Recommendation • Specialized physical and psychosocial care for injured female youth • Increased reproductive health care and family planning • Working with adult and male youth on stopping SGBV and early pregnancy and marriage • Increase health care provision for young children of these girls