Why do these Conditions Persist?

Refugees around the world face poor living conditions within resettlement camps. In particular, women face more troubles regarding these environments; this includes issues of safety and privacy. One could ask what is being done to mitigate or reduce these conditions, and what can be done in the future to assist and aide women refugees; however, there is already a plethora of acts, guidelines, recommendations, and organizations that are researching, developing, and implementing ways to send help to women in these threatening environments.  The next question that might come to mind after learning this is, why do these conditions persist?

The UNHCR has a long list of documents and policies that relate to gender equality and women; for example, the Women’s Refugee Commission has helped to show the need for refugees to have easy and safe access to cooking fuel. This has begun to help women for it is often cultural norm for women to be in charge of the cooking. This means that women are often responsible for obtaining firewood. Reaching firewood may require women to travel far from the camps, often by themselves, which increases vulnerability to attack.

With this being said, the question still remains: why do these conditions persist? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. There are many different reasons that guidelines or acts fail to make a change. So instead, maybe the question should become how can women be empowered so that they can better their own lives?  In order to help improve the lives of refugees who are women, there must be ways focus on changes that provide women with more control in the status of their own lives. This idea was tested when the Women’s Refugee Commission, “published the first comprehensive manual to guide humanitarian practitioners as they design work programs for displaced and refugee women.”  This has allowed women to support themselves and give themselves the ability to improve the quality of their lives.

Another example involves the Moro Women’s Group, a group of women that hand crafts handbags and accessories to women around central Africa.  By selling their work, they have been able to gain financial independence, which is a huge accomplishment.  It may be possible that the key to helping women refugees is to give them access to, and the ability to create a business or their own. This in hope could alleviate the strains associated with maintaining a household in critical condition.