As the world marks International Women’s day, thousands of Pakistani women across the nation, suffering due to ongoing conflicts in the region remain largely ignored by the world. Domestic violence, harassment and discrimination continue to form the pillars of the women’s rights agenda for most activists and rights based organizations. Responding to the needs of women in conflict zones, their rehabilitation and their inclusion in peace negotia-tions or post conflict reconstruction are causes that have not received adequate attention.
More than 30,000 Pakistanis have been killed or injured in the War on Terror since 2001. According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) sources, this includes over 21,000 civil-ian deaths and injuries. UNOCHA reports that over 2.5 million people have been displaced as a result of military operations conducted in the north-west of Pakistan. The war has taken a heavy toll on life, livelihoods and infrastructure but gender disaggregated data is currently available. Therefore, quantifying the impact of the war on women remains difficult. Subse-quently, policies focused on alleviating the plight of women and increasing their participa-tion in negotiating peace of rebuilding their cities remains woefully inadequate. Women con-tinue to suffer on the margins of society, not only victimized and targeted during conflict, but also excluded from post conflict reconstruction and peace building processes.
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