Armed Conflict

Citation:

El Jack, Amani. 2003. Gender and Armed Conflict: Overview Report. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies. 

Author: Amani El Jack

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender

Year: 2003

Citation:

Hyndman, Jennifer. 2004. “Refugee Camps as Conflict Zones: The Politics of Gender.” In Sites of Violence: Gender and Conflict Zones,Wenona Mary Giles and Jennifer Hyndman, 193–212.

Author: Jennifer Hyndman

Topics: Armed Conflict, Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Refugee/IDP Camps, Gender

Year: 2004

Citation:

Lentin, Ronit. 1999. “The Rape of the Nation: Women Narrativising Genocide.” Sociological Research Online 4 (2): online.

Author: Ronit Lentin

Abstract:

In this article I will firstly argue that genocide and wars are gendered but also often feminised via the positioning of women not only as sexual trophies exchangeable between male enemies, not only as markers of collective boundaries, but also as the symbolic representations of national and ethnic collectivities. I will then interrogate the centrality of rape as a component of ethno-sexual identities and an instrument of war, focusing on the difficulties we have as women but also as social scientists, to theorise wartime rape. Finally I will propose that creating a forum for women war victims to narrativise their traumatic experiences is a vital feminist strategy of beginning to close the gap between genocide and gender and between trauma and the discourses available to narrate it.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Ethnicity, Feminisms, Gender, Genocide, Health, Trauma, Sexual Violence, Rape

Year: 1999

Citation:

Mazurana, Dyan, Angela Raven-Roberts, and Jane Parpart, ed. 2005. Gender, Conflict, and Peacekeeping. Lanham:Rowman & Littlefield.

Authors: Dyan Mazurana, Angela Raven-Roberts, Jane Parpart

Abstract:

Peacekeeping has become a major international undertaking throughout the world, from Africa to the Americas, from Europe to Southeast Asia. Yet until now, there has been no systematic analysis of the key role of gender in post-cold war conflicts and of post-conflict peacekeeping efforts. This groundbreaking volume explores how gender has become a central factor in shaping current thinking about the causes and consequences of armed conflict, complex emergencies, and reconstruction. Drawing on expertise ranging from the highest levels of international policymaking down to the daily struggle to implement peacekeeping operations, this work represents the full span of knowledge and experience about international intervention in local crises. Presenting a rich array of examples from Angola, Bosnia Herzegovina, East Timor, El Salvador, the former Yugoslavia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, and Serbia, the authors offer important insights for future peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. (Amazon)

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Peacekeeping

Year: 2005

Citation:

Mazurana, Dyan, and Khristopher Carlson. 2004.From Combat to Community: Women and Girls of Sierra Leone. Cambridge, MA: Women Waging Peace Policy Commission.

Authors: Dyan Mazurana, Khristopher Carlson

Abstract:

Wars and internal conflicts do not end simply with the signing of peace agreements. To avoid a resurgence of violence, it is necessary to develop and support measures for strengthening the governance, security, justice, and socioeconomic capacities of a state. This is a complex task in any society, but daunting in post-conflict situations. While the international community can provide assistance and valuable resources, the local population, which has no “exit strategy,” has the greatest commitment to building sustainable peace. It is therefore essential to draw on the assets, experiences, and dedication at the local level and among all sectors of society. One sector often overlooked and underestimated is women. In most post-conflict societies women are more than 50 percent of the population and are actively engaged in peace building while addressing the basic survival needs of their families and communities. Yet they are often portrayed as passive victims, and little regard is given to their actual and potential roles in fostering security. In October 2000, for the first time in its history, the United Nations Security Council acknowledged that women have a key role in promoting international stability by passing Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. It called on all parties to ensure women’s participation in peace processes, from the prevention of conflict to negotiations and post-war reconstruction. The Women Waging Peace Policy Commission was established to examine peace processes with a particular focus on the contributions of women. Drawing on qualitative field-based research and quantitative survey data, “From Combat to Community: Women and Girls of Sierra Leone” assesses how consideration of gender issues can improve disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) processes and documents the contributions of women in official and civil society-based reintegration programs.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Society, Combatants, Female Combatants, Conflict Prevention, DDR, Gender, Women, Girls, Gender Mainstreaming, Governance, Post-Conflict Governance, Justice, Peacebuilding, Peace Processes, Post-Conflict, Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Security, UN Security Council Resolutions on WPS, UNSCR 1325 Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Sierra Leone

Year: 2004

Citation:

Last, Robert M. 2000. “An Examination of the Usage of Systematic Sexual Violence as a Weapon of Warfare and Tool of Repression in Non-International Armed Conflicts.” PhD diss., University of Nottingham.

Author: Robert M. Last

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Sexual Violence, Rape

Year: 2000

Citation:

Brentlinger, Paula E., Hector Javier Sanchez-Perez, Marcos Arana Cedeno, Lic Guadalupe Vargas Morales, Miguel A. Hernan, Mark A. Micek, and Douglas Ford. 2005. “Pregnancy Outcomes, Site of Delivery, and Community Schisms in Regions Affected by the Armed Conflict in Chiapas, Mexico.” Social Science & Medicine 61: 1001-14.

Authors: Paula E. Brentlinger, Hector Javier Sanchez-Perez, Marcos Arana Cedeno, Lic Guadalupe Vargas Morales, Miguel A. Hernan, Mark A. Micek, Douglas Ford

Abstract:

The Zapatista armed conflict began in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, in 1994, and overlaps pre-existing local disputes about land, religion, and other issues. Related disruptions in access to and utilization of health services have been alleged to have compromised local health status, particularly in vulnerable subgroups such as indigenous women and infants. The study objective was to measure maternal and perinatal mortality ratios and utilization of pregnancy-related health services in the region affected by the Zapatista conflict, and to describe associations between these primary outcome measures, socioeconomic and demographic factors, and factors associated with inter-party and intra-community conflict. A cross-sectional, population-based survey was conducted in 46 communities in three regions. The study subjects were 1227 women, 13-49 years old, who had been pregnant during the preceding 2 years (1999-2001). Principal outcome measures were maternal and perinatal mortality, and site of delivery. Secondary analyses explored associations between primary outcomes and socioeconomic, demographic, and conflict-related factors. Most births (87.1%) occurred at home. The crude observed maternal and perinatal mortality ratios were 607/100,000 and 23.5/1000 live births, respectively. Those who died had difficulty accessing emergency obstetrical care. Both home birth and mortality were associated with descriptors of intra-community conflict. Observed maternal and perinatal mortality ratios were substantially higher than those officially reported for Mexico or Chiapas. Reduction of high reproductive mortality ratios will require attention to socioeconomic and conflict-related problems, in addition to improved access to emergency obstetrical services.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Women, Health, Reproductive Health, Indigenous Regions: Americas, North America Countries: Mexico

Year: 2005

Citation:

Rejali, Darius M. 1994. “Rape as a Political Weapon in War: The Case of the Bosnian Women.” Paper presented International Sociological Association, Bielefield, Germany, July 18-23.

Author: Darius Rejali

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Gender-Based Violence, Sexual Violence, Rape Regions: Europe, Balkans, Eastern Europe Countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina

Year: 1994

Citation:

De Volo, Lorraine Bayard. 2004. “Mobilizing Mothers for War: Cross-National Framing Strategies in Nicaragua’s Contra War.” Gender & Society 18 (6): 715-34.

Author: Lorraine Bayard De Volo

Abstract:

Studies document that in wartime, states often employ maternal imagery and mobilize women as mothers. Yet we know relatively little about when and why states and their Opposition do so. This study seeks to build theory for this phenomenon through frame analysis of the Nicaraguan Contra War. The author proposes that maternal framing aimed at mothers as well as a broader national and international audience, benefits militaries in at least three ways: (1) channeling maternal grievances, (2) disseminating propaganda through "apolitical" mothers, and (3) evoking emotions and sympathy nationally and internationally. This study furthermore explores three underexamined features of both gendered studies of war and frame analysis: (1) It applies frame theory to states, (2) it develops our understanding of cross-national gendered framing strategies, and (3) it introduces gender framing to the study of war.

Keywords: mothers, women, war, framing, Nicaragua

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Gender, Women Regions: Americas, Central America Countries: Nicaragua

Year: 2004

Citation:

Sancho, Neila, and Ronit Lentin. 1997. “The ‘Comfort Women’ System during World War II: Asian Women as Targets of Mass Rape and Sexual Slavery by Japan.” In Gender and Catastrophe, edited by Ronit Lentin, 144–54. London: Zed Books.

Authors: Neila Sancho, Ronit Lentin

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Women, Gender-Based Violence, Security, Sexual Violence, Rape Regions: Asia, East Asia Countries: Japan

Year: 1997