RCOG President Mr Eddie Morris reflects on a stand out talk from RCOG World Congress 2021
Our first virtual World Congress concluded on Saturday evening and was a phenomenal success.
Across four days, over 3,000 delegates from 85 countries were able to experience more than 100 lectures and talks from their homes and places of work across the globe.
I have many reflections from across the four days. However, there was one talk that really stood out for me – I felt it was the most important talk for us all – and that was ‘Women and War: the Price of Violence’, by Dr Orly Stern, a researcher, consultant and human rights lawyer from South Africa.
This insightful, hard-hitting and moving lecture outlined the multiple ways women are harmed by conflict, and it covered displacement, gender violence, exploitation and health care needs.
In a short space of time, Dr Stern was able to convey to our delegates the suffering and pain experienced by women in conflict zones. Her talk highlighted the uncomfortable truths that lead to the abuse of women during war.
Dr Stern showed that the effects on women are largely the same, whatever country they come from. Women and their children are suffering. This talk shows that war is not just about armed conflict and the politics behind it, but that the greatest and the most enduring suffering is that of women and future generations.