The effect of war on women

[Rabbit of Caerbannog]

I thought this was a pretty powerful piece:

http://www.unfpa.org/emergencies/psa/film_english.html

Thank you Bush*, et al for helping exacerbate the situation...

[outinforce]

1. What A Piece of Pure Propaganda!!

Excuse Me, but this is little more than pure propaganda.

The film starts begins with things that are true:

In times of war, women need:

Food
Water
Shelter and Protection
and Health Care

It says that the leading cause of death for women in times of war is pregnancy and complications from childbirth.

It goes onto say more things that are true.

Like, in times of war, if women do not have access to
soap
emergency obstetric care
and condoms,

it may mean a death sentence for them.

So, what are we to conclude?

If the USA provides, through the UNFPA, money to fund soap, emergency obstetric care, and condoms, is that enough?

After all, that is all that this ad actually says women need in times of war (in addition, of course, to the basics of food, water, shelter and protection, and health care).

But then there's that statistic about women dying most often from pregnancy and complications related to child birth......

What do you suppose the UNFPA would suggest (but never mention in their ad) as the "cure" for that???

[veganwitch]

7. i really dont know

why it took me so long to put you on ignore.


good-bye

[Lizz612]

2. Oi. Now I'm all teary eyed.

Oh god that just makes me so angry and sad.

[highlonesome]

3. 37,000,000 displaced by war....

....and 65% are women and girls. Knoiw why 65% are women and girls? Cause the men are all dead! I'm sorry, but feminism is beginning to go too far.

[outinforce]

4. Am I Understanding You Correctly?

I may be reading more into your post than you intended to say, highlonesome, but it strikes me that you are suggesting that it is somehow "feminism" gone too far when the UNFPA points out that 65% of the people displaced by war are women and girls.

I am no big fanr of the UNFPA, or of the film that the original poster in this thread provided a link to.

Nonetheless, I do not think it to be overly "feminist" to point out that one of the many tragic consequences of war is that close to 24 million women and girls are displaced.

Thank you for reminding us that, in most cases, it is men who are killed in battle when war breaks out. Men who are husbands and fathers and brothers. And their deaths leave behind women and girls.

War is hell.

[highlonesome]

5. my intent

It's not that there's something wrong with talking about how war effects women and girls as much as it is how feminism looks at one side exclusively. War is a human tragedy not a gender issue. Maybe I'm srong, but isn't it somehow still better to have some sort of a fighting chance at life than to be taking the permanent dirt nap?

It's misleading in that it says "65% displaced by war are women and girls." This is absolutely false if you consider death to be an ultimate form of displacement -- which I do.

[outinforce]

6. Well.....,

I think I understand your point, highlonesome.

But if the purpose of the film is to make the case for the need for women's health in the face of war in developing countries, then I really have no issue with the producers of the film calling attention to the fact (at least, I assume it is factual) that 24 million women and girls are displaced by way.

If UNFPA were to produce a film to make the case for the need for shelter for displaced people in the event of war, and excluded the number of old men and boy that are displaced, I would be a bit more upset.

As it is, though, my real concern is that the film seems to make an assumption that the 13 million boys and men displaced by war (the 35% not mentioned) receive adequate medical care.

I wonder if that is the case. And I wonder, if it is not the case, whether the UNFPA is at all concerned about that, and has produced any films calling the attention of the world to the medical needs of the boys and men displaced by war.