Views, events, and debates

Abstract

Stronger women, stronger nations: 2008 Afghanistan Survey Brita Fernandez Schmidt In the March 2009 issue of G&D, we profiled Women for Women International, an NGO which works with women survivors of conflict to rebuild their lives and their communities in countries which have suffered, or are still suffering, violence and civil unrest. Here, Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Director of Operations for WfWI UK, reports on recent WfWI research in Afghanistan, which aimed to uncover, and give voice to, the views of Afghan women on the future of their troubled country. Gender and protection: where are the men? Rachel Hastie The protection of civilians, particularly women and children, is something that has been the focus of increasing attention from agencies carrying out humanitarian work in many of the world's trouble spots. For Rachel Hastie, who works on protection issues for Oxfam GB, practising a truly gendered approach to protection means re-examining our commonly held beliefs about women and men in times of conflict so as to better understand, and help alleviate, the suffering of those caught up in violence and war. CSW 53 – A Report Fiona Gell and Daniela Rosche Every year in March, around the time of International Women's Day, thousands of delegates from governments and civil society organisations from around the world converge on New York to attend the UN's annual Commission on the Status of Women meeting. Here, two members from Oxfam International's 2009 delegation explain what happens at the CSW, and what was achieved this year.