Women's Day Special CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE

Millions of women across the world suffer the trauma of war and conflict. Inadvertently caught in the crossfire, they are often left to cope with injury, death, displacement, violation, destruction and an overwhelming uncertainty about the future. How do women manage to look after critically injured children, rebuild bombed homes and look after their own health and basic needs at a time when war planes, violent attacks and the dangers of conflict pose a risk to even the humanitarian workers. To commemorate 60 years of the Geneva Convention, we present a selection of features from the archives of the Women's Features Service. It throws light on the predicament of women in conflict and highlights their courageous response.

'Baghdad Burning' is the published outcome of a blog diary describing the reality of living through war and occupation in Iraq. Written anonymously by a 24-year-old Iraqi woman whose nom de plume is Riverbend, the posts are in turn outraged, witty, frustrated and courageous. Hard-hitting and deeply moving, 'Baghdad Burning' won the Lettre Ulysses Award for Literary Reportage 2005. Published now for the first time in India, this enthralling journal - which has been compared to 'The Diary of Anne Frank' - has gathered a worldwide audience. Excerpts.

* The Myth: Iraqis, prior to occupation, lived in little beige tents set up on the sides of little dirt roads all over Baghdad. The men and boys would ride to school on their camels, donkeys, and goats...The Truth: Iraqis lived in houses with running water and electricity. Thousands of them own computers. Millions own VCRs and VCDs.

India:
Children of Conflict
By Swapna Majumdar

Schoolgoing children - all unfortunate victims of militancy, terrorism and communal strife - recently addressed a gathering in Delhi. The children shared the trauma they have undergone after having seen a loved one assassinated, a home torched, or the agony of being branded a child of a militant - for no fault of their own. The unique initiative was organised by Guild of Service, a Delhi-based NGO working for children, widows and women's empowerment, and the National Legal Services Authority.

"My siblings and I faced problems in getting admission to schools. Teachers viewed us with suspicion and we were discriminated against only because our father was a former militant."

Sri Lanka:
Feminising the Peace Process
By Vijita Fernando

After a two-decade long internal conflict, peace is once more on the horizon with the cease-fire agreement between the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam and the Sri Lankan government. This time, women's groups have been vocal about participating in the peace process in order to make it more constructive, more inclusive and more sustainable.

* "At the meeting with the Prime Minister we expressed the fact that the current high levels of domestic violence, rape and sexual harassment are directly linked to a climate of impunity encouraged by the war."

Nepal:
Missing Men, Shattered Women
By Anita Pandey

Today in Nepal, several women, whose husbands, sons and other male relatives have been picked up by security forces or Maoist insurgents, don't know whether the men are alive or dead. The number of missing men has escalated since the ceasefire between Maoists and the forces ended in August 2003. Besides being emotionally stressed by their failed attempts to track the men, women have to shoulder the responsibility of earning for their families.

* "Sometimes they say my husband is fine. But when I took warm clothes for him to the army camp, they said they didn't have anyone by that name in their custody."

India:
Women in the Line of Fire
By Linda Chhakchhuak

The Hmar rape case in Manipur has exposed the deep-rooted ethnic divisions in this northeast Indian state: A fact-finding team of civil society groups found that they could not work around their ethnic biases, and even women's organisations have presented a shamefully divided face. The controversy rages on.

* They also point to a bias in the valley-based newspapers' reports, which refer to the Naobi Chanu rape case as 'rape' and to the Hmar rape case as 'alleged rape'.

Global:
Ingrid Betancourt Does Not Forget Aung San Suu Kyi
By Mehru Jaffer

Colombia's former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was rescued after being held captive for nearly seven years by Columbia's leftist rebels, the Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), has been named the Woman of the Year by the Vienna-based World Awards Association (WAA). She received the award for tirelessly working to free the other hostages held by FARC since her release in July this year. Though the former politician-turned-activist plans to take a sabbatical in the New Year - in order to come to terms with her life in captivity and her rescue - Betancourt will lead a freedom march on November 28 to inspire people around the world to say "No" to injustice and suffering in the world.

* "This march is to tell those who are still in captivity, like Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, that they are not forgotten."

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