Describes The Dangers Faced By Young Girls In War Situations (Essay Sample)

Adolescent Girls in Conflict Zones
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Introduction
Adolescent girls are those in ages between puberty and adulthood (Merriam Webster, 2017), usually between 13 and 18 years. A number of such girls are frequently caught in conflict when wars and other clashes break out. Consequently, they tend to flee to refugee camps where they have to cope with life without the protection of their immediate family and relations. This exposes them to a number of problems including the main three: sexual assault, physical violence and verbal abuse (UNFPA, 2017).
This paper briefly considers these three main problems and the persons responsible for perpetrating them. It concludes that girls in conflict areas need to be protected especially by creating public awareness on the problems they face and taking deterrent action on the perpetrators.
Sexual, Physical and Verbal Assault on Adolescent Girl’s in Conflict Zones
Sexual assault is the one of the most common types of violence faced by adolescent girls both in conflict zones and refugee camps (UNFPA, 2017). Many girls have reported being subjected to forced sexual intercourse by men. Such men range from close relatives and fellow refugees, to armed militia and government forces. In some cases, girls have reported repeated abuse by the perpetrators (Wirtz et al, 2014).
Physical violence is another major issue facing these girls. Usually, sexual assault is preceded by physical violence to ensure submission by the girls. In some cases though the girls are just beaten up by men who want to show dominance (Wirtz et al, 2014). Fellow girls and women are also notorious for subjecting such girls to thorough beatings, as a way of installing social hierarchy, in which the aggressive girls dominate (Pinhas et al, 2002).
Verbal abuse is also a common occurrence. Some girls have been shocked to be referred to as prostitutes, worthless and even useless. This kind of abuse is meant to lower their self-esteem so that control can be established over them (Pinhas et al, 2002). Men and fellow women in and outside the conflict zones are responsible for this abuse.
Anyone dealing with girls in a conflict situation, such as government agencies, aid organizations and volunteers should ensure the protection of such teenage girls (Pinhas et al, 2002). One way of doing that is through creating public awareness on the problems the girls face (UNFPA, 2017). This can help the perpetrators to have a more sympathetic view to the girl’s situation. It may not be feasible to try and protect the girls all the time, so the society in which they find themselves should protect them. Another inevitable way is for the perpet...