Talk centers on women, war

A UNC alumna delivered a speech Monday on women and war, saying they face particular vulnerabilities in war-torn areas.

Pamela DeLargy, head of the Humanitarian Assistance Unit of the U.N. Population Fund, addressed a crowd of about 35 people, speaking on the gender-specific issues women face in war-torn countries.

Her speech topped off the “Series on War and Health” lectures at the University.

“The days of armies fighting armies are over,” DeLargy said. “There is no longer independence or neutrality among citizens, or even humanitarian workers.

“And women are a particularly vulnerable crowd.”

DeLargy added that while women have to deal with the same effects of war as men, such as wounds and environmental hazards, they must also deal with gender-specific nutrition issues, reproductive health and sexual violence.

Women also account for the majority of nonviolent deaths in war-ridden countries, DeLargy said. Forty-seven of every 62 nonviolent deaths are women and children.

“Women are not typically given guns and things to protect themselves, but they are still subject to be victimized during these conflicts,” said Katya Roytburd, a student enrolled in the health behavior and health education program in the UNC School of Public Health.

After a summation of her main points, DeLargy presented a short documentary called “Women in Distress,” which examines sexual violence among women in Tanzania.

The film follows the life of a young teenage girl who was held down and raped by two boys and given a venereal disease. Her condition ultimately improved after the area saw increased personnel and medical supplies.

“I’m struck watching that film, which was made six or seven years ago, that the services which were new at the time have now been put in all stable refugee areas,” DeLargy said. “And the forgotten emergencies, like the ones in the central African republics, are the really difficult ones to supply.”

DeLargy ended her lecture with a question-and-answer session and with personal pictures and anecdotes from her travels and humanitarian work in Africa.

The lecture was the brainchild of Mariana Garrettson, a master’s student in the UNC School of Public Health, and finally came to fruition after months of lobbying for sponsorship from University groups.

“Personally, violence and conflict are areas of academic interest of mine. But in the news, you always hear about war and the economy, or oil or political negotiations,” Garrettson said.

“But this lecture brings back the everyday impacts that don’t get talked about on the news.”

DeLargy’s lecture also marked the beginning of Women’s Week, which began Monday and will continue through Friday.

“I think it’s interesting to hear about all the dimensions of a woman’s life that are affected by war,” said Emily Wurth, a student in the UNC School of Public Health.

“That’s why I’ve become so interested in this area as opposed to other humanitarian causes.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.