Briefing Note on Gender Issues for the Security Council Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, women and girls have been plagued by violence, loss of loved ones, destruction of communities and untold hardships in a region riddled by internal conflict and war. Mass population displacement is commonplace in these countries and has been so for over a decade. While women and girls bare the brunt of the devastation, they have laboured hard to provide for their families, tried to rebuild communities and contributed to peace processes.