Refugees Flee Political Violence in Burundi

By UN Women Reprint | | Print |

Sep 16 2016 - A year after political violence erupted in Burundi, nearly 300 000 people have fled to neighboring Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo.

More than half of those fleeing are women and children who must start their lives over in foreign lands with little more than the basic necessities they fled with.

Life in the refugee camps is a daily challenge for women and girls. They face not only food shortage and poverty, but also higher rates of sexual and domestic violence, and increased chances of early marriage.

UN Women sets up “Safe Spaces” in refugee camps to offer income opportunities and business training for women, as well as psycho-social counselling and trauma assistance.

To learn more about daily life in refugee camps: www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2016/5/photo-daily-life-cameroon-refugee-camps.

This video was replicated from the UN Women website <http://www.unwomen.org/>. IPS is an official partner of UN Women’s Step It Up! Media Compact.