There are two dimensions to this subject. The first one is women and girls as...

There are two dimensions to this subject. The first one is women and girls as victims of violence. As the discussion in the Security Council last week again made clear (see S/PV.6195), such violence is often employed as a weapon of war. That necessitates a different way of operating in crisis management and peacekeeping. For instance, military patrols need to take place between villages and water points at the crack of dawn to protect women fetching water. We also need to be aware that brutal forms of violence against women in sudden outbreaks of violence can be early warning signs of instability.