Human Security

Citation:

Denov, Myriam. 2006. “Wartime Sexual Violence: Assessing a Human Security Response to War-Affected Girls in Sierra Leone.” Security Dialogue 37 (3): 319–42.

Author: Myriam Denov

Abstract:

Wartime sexual violence continues to be widespread and systematic in contemporary conflicts. Although the problem is gaining increasing international attention, it has remained, for the most part, peripheral within the domain of security studies. However, the human security agenda may have the capacity to raise the profile of wartime sexual violence and offer a useful framework from which to understand and respond to the unique needs of war-affected girls and women. This article explores the capacity of the human security agenda, both conceptually and practically, to address the plight of girl victims of sexual violence in the aftermath of Sierra Leone’s conflict. Drawing upon the perspectives and experiences of three girls formerly associated with Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front, the article traces the extreme forms of sexual violence and insecurity girls were forced to endure, both during and following the conflict. It also examines a number of human security efforts implemented in the conflict’s aftermath and their impact on the level of empowerment, protection and security of girls. The broader implications of these human security efforts are explored in light of the girls’ lived realities in post-conflict Sierra Leone.

Keywords: sexual violence, human security, girls, war, Sierra Leone

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Girls, Gendered Power Relations, Post-Conflict, Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Security, Human Security, Sexual Violence, Rape, SV against Women Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Sierra Leone

Year: 2006

Citation:

Medie, Peace. 2009. “Gender and Security in Post-Conflict Peace-Building: A Pilot Study of the Concept of Security in Post-Conflict Liberia.” Paper presented at the International Studies Association Annual Convention, New York, February 15.

Author: Peace Medie

Abstract:

In most post-conflict states, threats to the security of individuals remain high and women are especially vulnerable. Although efforts have been made to understand post-conflict (in)security as it relates to gender, the experiences of women have not been fully studied. This study attempts to fill this gap by asking the questions: what constitutes security for women in Liberia and what are the threats to their security. Interviews conducted reveal that rape and sexual violence committed during armed robberies are the most pressing threats to women’s security. The findings also underscore economic insecurity as a principal concern of Liberian women and a strong determinant of how they are affected by Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The findings also reveal that gender is the identity that most strongly determines how women experience (in)security. This paper argues that there is the need to further probe the relationship between women’s identities and their experience of post-conflict (in)security. There is also the need to examine the relationship between armed robbery and rape, to determine if the threats that they pose to women should be tackled within an economic or a women’s-rights lens. Finally, this study recommends a strengthening and gendering of public safety infrastructures, and the economic empowerment of women in post-conflict Liberia.

Topics: Economies, Gender, Women, Gender-Based Violence, Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict, Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Rights, Women's Rights, Security, Human Security, Security Sector Reform, Sexual Violence, Rape Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Liberia

Year: 2009

Citation:

Gumru, Belgin, and Jan Marie Fritz. 2009. “Women, Peace and Security: An Analysis of the National Action Plans Developed in Response to UN Security Council Resolution 1325.” Societies Without Borders 4 (2): 209–25. doi:10.1163/187219109X447485.

Authors: Belgin Gumru, Jan Marie Fritz

Abstract:

Twenty criteria are used to analyze sixteen national action plans that focus on women, peace and security. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, a base for the national plans, highlights the terrible consequences of violent conflict on women and girls as well as the important role of women in all peacebuilding processes. Suggestions are made for those developing or revising plans and these include addressing the relevant points from four UN Security Council resolutions (1325, 1820, 1888 and 1889); specifying all processes and timelines; and including civil society participation in all phases of a plan’s development, implementation and assessment.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Women, Girls, Peacebuilding, Security, Human Security, UN Security Council Resolutions on WPS, UNSCR 1325

Year: 2009

Citation:

Hans, Asha. 2010. “An Experiment in Transition from Military to Human Security.” In The Gender Imperative: Human Security Vs State Security, edited by Betty A. Reardon, 384–409. New York: Routledge.

Author: Asha Hans

Topics: Armed Conflict, Feminisms, Gender, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Equality/Inequality, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militaries, Peace Processes, Security, Human Security

Year: 2010

Citation:

Sharpe, Albie. 2010. “Gender, Health, Peace and Security.” In The Gender Imperative: Human Security Vs State Security, edited by Betty A. Reardon and Asha Hans, 351–83. New York: Routledge.

Author: Albie Sharpe

Topics: Armed Conflict, Feminisms, Gender, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Equality/Inequality, Health, Peace Processes, Security, Human Security

Year: 2010

Citation:

Nemeh, Norma. 2010. “Jordanian Women’s Concepts of Human Security.” In The Gender Imperative: Human Security Vs State Security, edited by Betty A. Reardon and Asha Hans, 317–50. New York: Routledge.

Author: Norma Nemeh

Topics: Armed Conflict, Feminisms, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Equality/Inequality, Security, Human Security Regions: MENA, Asia, Middle East Countries: Jordan

Year: 2010

Citation:

Basu, Soumita. 2010. “Security Council Resolution 1325: Toward Gender Equality in Peace and Security Policy Making.” In The Gender Imperative: Human Security Vs State Security, edited by Betty A. Reardon and Asha Hans, 287–316. New York: Routledge.

Author: Soumita Basu

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Peace Processes, Security, Human Security, UN Security Council Resolutions on WPS, UNSCR 1325

Year: 2010

Citation:

Zawilski, Valerie. 2010. “Opposing Militarism: Soliders’ Mothers in Russia.” In The Gender Imperative: Human Security Vs State Security, edited by Betty A. Reardon and Asha Hans, 255–86. New York: Routledge.

Author: Valerie Zawilski

Topics: Armed Conflict, Feminisms, Gender, Women, Men, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Equality/Inequality, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militarism, Security, Human Security Regions: Asia, Europe Countries: Russian Federation

Year: 2010

Citation:

Breyer, Chloe. 2010. “Education, Violence, and Schools: The Human Security of Girls in Afghanistan.” In The Gender Imparative: Human Security Vs State Security, edited by Betty A. Reardon and Asha Hans, 230–54. New York: Routledge.

Author: Chloe Breyer

Topics: Armed Conflict, Education, Feminisms, Gender, Girls, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Equality/Inequality, Security, Human Security, Violence Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: Afghanistan

Year: 2010

Citation:

Alexander, Ronni. 2010. “Seeking Human Security in a Militarized Pacific: Struggles for Peace and Security by Pacific Island Women.” In The Gender Imperative: Human Security Vs State Security, edited by Betty A. Reardon and Asha Hans, 197–229. New York: Routledge.

Author: Ronni Alexander

Abstract:

Topics: Armed Conflict, Feminisms, Gender, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Equality/Inequality, Peace Processes, Security, Human Security Regions: Oceania

Year: 2010