When Refugees are Women: Emergence of the Issue on the International Agenda

Abstract

Using the latest refugee statistics available from the United Nations High Commissionerfor Refugees (UNHCR), the author examines, first, the presence of women in refugee populations. Second, she chronologically reviews the efforts of the United Nations and United Nations agencies to heighten awareness regarding the issue, and to resolve specific problems that refugee women face. Lastly, the special needs for women refugees are identified with implications for possible program interventions.