Armed Conflict

Women, Internal Displacement and the Boko Haram Conflict: Broadening the Debate

Citation:

Ajayi, Titilope F. 2020. "Women, Internal Displacement and the Boko Haram Conflict: Broadening the Debate." African Security 13 (2): 171-94.

Author: Titilope F. Ajayi

Abstract:

Women and children make up 79 per cent of the population displaced by the conflict between the Nigerian government and the armed movement informally known as Boko Haram. Their lived experiences expose the considerable protection and humanitarian risks of being female in violent contexts and the complexities of addressing them. In addition to open conflict and inconsistent policy and humanitarian responses, women’s displacement is being protracted by disjunctures between women’s roles and their construction as victims in policy and humanitarian frameworks. Construed as lacking agency, displaced women are resisting the hardship of displacement by returning to Boko Haram. This article argues for a rethinking of the importance of context, autonomy and agency as a prerequisite to reconciling false narratives about women’s experiences of conflict and displacement and their lived realities. It speaks to broader debates about women and conflict and the utility of current approaches and frameworks for addressing the roles and needs of women in these contexts.

Keywords: Nigeria, gender and security, IDPs, UNSCR 1325, women, peace and security in Africa

Topics: Armed Conflict, Displacement & Migration, IDPs, Gender, Women, Humanitarian Assistance, Peace and Security, Terrorism, UN Security Council Resolutions on WPS, UNSCR 1325 Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Nigeria

Year: 2020

Marital Violence during War Conflict: The Lived Experience of Syrian Refugee Women

Citation:

Al-Natour, Ahlam, Samar Mohammad Al-Ostaz, and Edith J. Morris. 2019. "Marital Violence during War Conflict: The Lived Experience of Syrian Refugee Women." Journal of Transcultural Nursing 30 (1): 32-8.

Authors: Ahlam Al-Natour, Samar Mohammad Al-Ostaz, Edith J. Morris

Abstract:

Introduction: Marital violence increases during times of war. This study aims to describe the lived experience of marital violence toward Syrian refugee women during the current war in Syria. 
 
Design: A descriptive phenomenological research methodology was used to conduct semistructured interviews with 16 purposively selected Syrian refugee women residing in displacement centers in Jordan. Colaizzi’s steps of data analysis were used. 
 
Results: Four themes identified were identified: (1) Loss, insecurity, and suffering; (2) Shame and humiliation; (3) Justifying and enduring marital violence; and (4) Ways of coping with marital violence. 
 
Conclusion: The Syrian War conflict changed women’s lifeway and created a context for marital violence. Study findings suggests addressing marital violence during wartime and allocating resources to provide care and support of victims of violence in the displaced countries.

Keywords: transcultural health, women's health, phenomenology

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Domestic Violence, Gender, Women Regions: MENA, Asia, Middle East Countries: Syria

Year: 2019

Risk and Protective Factors among Palestinian Women Living in a Context of Prolonged Armed Conflict and Political Oppression

Citation:

Veronese, Guido, Federica Cavazzoni, Sabrina Russo, and Cindy Sousa. 2019. "Risk and Protective Factors among Palestinian Women Living in a Context of Prolonged Armed Conflict and Political Oppression." Journal of Interpersonal Violence. doi:10.1177/0886260519865960.

Authors: Guido Veronese, Federica Cavazzoni, Sabrina Russo, Cindy Sousa

Abstract:

Research has widely documented the effects of war and political violence on the functioning and well-being of adults and children. Yet, within this literature, women’s agency in the face of war-related adversity and political violence remains underexplored. The present study was conducted in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the most recent war on Gaza in 2014, with the aim of investigating the consequences of war and political violence for women’s mental health and psychological functioning. Based on interviews with 21 Palestinian women exposed to extreme war-related traumatic events, the article offers an analysis of the risk and protective factors affecting their well-being and enhancing (or diminishing) their agency. Human Security, Family Ties, Psychosocial Resources, Individual Resources, and Moterhood emerged from the women’s narratives as key factors contributing to the maintenance of positive psychological functioning and the ability to adjust to traumatic war events in the aftermath of acute armed conflict. These exploratory findings suggest that Palestinian women display a high level of functioning and resources for adjustment that is preserved after periods of devastating armed conflict. The study draws attention to a set of protective factors for the well-being of women and their families when living with chronic political violence.

Keywords: women, war, political oppression, risk and protective factors

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, Trauma, Violence Regions: MENA, Asia, Middle East Countries: Palestine / Occupied Palestinian Territories

Year: 2019

Sex and Gender in Research on Healthcare Workers in Conflict Settings: A Scoping Review

Citation:

Habib, Rima R., Dana A. Halwani, Diana Mikati, and Layal Hneiny. 2020. "Sex and Gender in Research on Healthcare Workers in Conflict Settings: A Scoping Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 (12).

Authors: Rima R. Habib, Dana A. Halwani, Diana Mikati, Layal Hneiny

Abstract:

The occupational health literature has established that sex and gender are associated with all dimensions of the workplace. Sex and/or gender (sex/gender) factors play an important role in shaping the experiences, exposures, and health outcomes of male and female healthcare providers working in war and conflict settings. This study aims to (1) assess how sex/gender is considered in the occupational health literature on healthcare workers in conflict settings, and (2) identify the gaps in incorporating sex/gender concepts in this literature. A scoping review was carried out and nine electronic databases were searched using a comprehensive search strategy. Two reviewers screened the titles/abstracts and full-texts of the studies using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Key information was extracted from the studies and four themes were identified. Of 7679 identified records, 47 were included for final review. The findings underlined the harsh working conditions of healthcare workers practicing in conflict zones and showed sex/gender similarities and differences in experiences, exposures and health outcomes. This review revealed a dearth of articles with adequate consideration of sex/gender in the study design. Sex/gender-sensitive research in occupational health is necessary to develop effective occupational health and safety policies to protect men and women healthcare workers in conflict settings.

Keywords: healthcare workers, scoping review, war, conflict, sex, Gender, occupational health and safety

Topics: Armed Conflict, Conflict, Gender, Health, Livelihoods

Year: 2020

Fighting about Women: Ideologies of Gender in the Syrian Civil War

Citation:

Szekely, Ora. 2020. "Fighting about Women: Ideologies of Gender in the Syrian Civil War." Journal of Global Security Studies 5 (3): 408-26.

Author: Ora Szekely

Abstract:

This article seeks to map and explain the sudden increase in the appearance of female combatants in the propaganda distributed by various parties to the Syrian civil war. Based on interviews and the analysis of online propaganda, the article argues that the importance of ideologies of gender to two of the four main participants in the Syrian civil war (specifically, the Kurdish Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat, PYD, and the Islamic State, or ISIS) has rendered gender ideology an unusually salient point of ideological cleavage in the Syrian context. This has meant that other parties to the conflict, for whom gender ideology is less important, are able to easily signal their position in relation to other conflict participants by means of policies or actions relating to women’s participation in the conflict.

Keywords: civil war, Gender, Syria, middle east

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Combatants, Female Combatants, Gender, Women, Media Regions: MENA, Asia, Middle East Countries: Syria

Year: 2020

Hacia una mirada feminista del rol de la mujer en el posconflicto Colombiano

Citation:

González, Angélica María Anicharico, Héctor Martinez Ortega, Claudia Cristina Cerón Ruiz, and Katherine Rengifo Agudelo. 2019. “Hacia Una Mirada Feminista Del Rol De La Mujer En El Posconflicto Colombiano.” Journal of International Women’s Studies 20 (6): 75-93.

Authors: Angélica María Anicharico González, Héctor Martinez Ortega, Claudia Cristina Cerón Ruiz, Katherine Rengifo Agudelo

Abstract:

SPANISH ABSTRACT:
El debate sobre los diferentes roles que las mujeres han sido forzadas a asumir en el Conflicto Armado Colombiano ha generado que, en el último proceso de Justicia Transicional, se haya reconocido la necesidad de rupturar el arquetipo histórico de las mujeres visibilizado en categorías rígidas y desiguales. Este artículo, basado en 50 entrevistas a mujeres víctimas del conflicto armado registradas en la Fiscalía General de la Nación de la República de Colombia (FIS), devela que son pocos los avances en investigación sociojurídica sobre la forma en que las mujeres podrían transformar su rol en una época de posconflicto, para disminuir la desigualdad por razones de género. Este artículo siguiendo un enfoque cualitativo y haciendo un análisis inductivo, propone una mirada feminista para la transformación de los roles que las mujeres han sido obligadas a asumir. Asimismo, se establece cómo los movimientos feministas actuales están generando nuevos roles inspirados en un enfoque epistemológico latinoamericano que permitiría no sólo la transformación y/o desconstrucción de los roles impuestos a las mujeres sino un mejoramiento de sus condiciones de vida contribuyendo así a los procesos de construcción de paz en contextos locales e internacionales.
 
ENGLISH ABSTRACT:
The debate over the different roles women have been forced to assume in the Colombian armed conflict has led, in the last process of Transitional Justice, to the recognition of the need to break down the historical archetype of women noticeable through rigid and unequal categories. This article, based on 50 interviews of female victims of the armed conflict, filed in the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Colombia (FIS), reveals that there is scant research breakthroughs on the socio-juridical field about the way women may transform their role in the post-conflict era, to reduce gender-based inequality. This study with a qualitative approach and an inductive analysis, suggests that the roles women have been forced to assume require a feminist approach to be transformed. Moreover, how the current women’s movements are generating a new role based on a Latin American epistemological approach is established. That approach would allow, not only the transformation and/or break down of those roles assumed by women, but also the improvement of their living conditions to contribute to the process of peace building in the local and international contexts.

Keywords: feminismo Latinoamericano, rol de la mujer, investigación qualitativa, Conflicto Armado, posconflicto, Latin American feminism, role of women, qualitative research, Colombian armed conflict, post-conflict

Topics: Armed Conflict, Conflict, Feminisms, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Justice, Transitional Justice, Post-Conflict, Peacebuilding Regions: Americas, South America Countries: Colombia

Year: 2019

Enfoque de Género en la Implementación de la Ley de Víctimas y Restitución de Tierras: Una Propuesta para la Caracterización de las Mujeres y Niñas Víctimas del Conflicto Armado en Colombia

Citation:

Castrellón Pérez, Mariana, and Catherine Romero Cristancho. 2016. "Enfoque de Género en la Implementación de la Ley de Víctimas y Restitución de Tierras: Una Propuesta para la Caracterización de las Mujeres y Niñas Víctimas del Conflicto Armado en Colombia." Revista CS 19: 69-113. doi: 10.18046/recs.i19.2166.

Authors: Mariana Castrellón Pérez, Catherine Romero Cristancho

Abstract:

SPANISH ABSTRACT:
El objetivo de este artículo es hacer una propuesta metodológica para incorporar la perspectiva de género en las herramientas de planeación de la Ley de Víctimas y Restitución de Tierras a nivel territorial. Las medidas de reparación integral a favor de las mujeres deben reconocer que las violencias producto del conflicto superan el episodio mismo y agudizan las brechas de inequidad y goce efectivo de derechos entre hombres y mujeres. Por lo tanto, todo intento de caracterización de las mujeres sobrevivientes del conflicto debe tener en cuenta: la situación de las mujeres en los diferentes ámbitos de exclusión como el acceso a la vivienda y tierra; el nivel de educación; la autonomía económica, entre otras; y los diferentes tipos de discriminación que viven en tiempos de paz, como puntos de partida para la formulación de políticas de prevención y reparación integral de las mujeres en los territorios.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT:
The purpose of this article is to present a methodological proposal to be included by local governments in their planning tools to implement the Victims and Land Restitution Law. Integral reparation measures on behalf of women who have been victimized by the armed actors have to recognize that the victimization oversees the violent episode and exacerbates inequality gaps and the effective enjoyment of rights between men and women. Hence, any attempt to characterize women survivors of the conflict must consider women's situation in different areas of exclusion such as access to land and housing, educational level, economic independence, among others; as well as the different types of discrimination that women face during peace times. All this to formulate public policy that aims at preventing violence and repairing women in local territories.

Keywords: gênero, entidades territoriales, Ley de Victimas y Restitución de Tierras, caracterización, Planes de Acción Territorial, Conflicto Armado, Gender, local governments, Victims and Land Restitution Law, characterization, Local Action Plans, armed conflict

Topics: Armed Conflict, Conflict, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, Post-Conflict Governance, Justice, Reparations, Livelihoods, Rights, Land Rights, Violence Regions: Americas, South America Countries: Colombia

Year: 2016

El Lugar de los Cuerpos-Territorios de las Mujeres Indígenas en Procesos de Desterritorialización y Reterritorialización Radicadas en Bogotá, Colombia

Citation:

de la Rosa, Juana María Lara. 2019. “El Lugar de los Cuerpos-Territorios de las Mujeres Indígenas en Procesos de Desterritorialización y Reterritorialización Radicadas en Bogotá, Colombia.” La Ventana 50: 45-79.

Author: Juana María Lara de la Rosa

Abstract:

SPANISH ABSTRACT:
El presente artículo indaga sobre los procesos de desterritorialización y reterritorialización que han tenido que vivir en Bogotá las mujeres indígenas provenientes de diferentes partes de Colombia como consecuencia del conflicto armado dilatado por décadas. La argumentación interpretativa se efectúa desde los nuevos feminismos comunitarios, los feminismos descoloniales, que permiten entender los posicionamientos de las mujeres indígenas en términos de su búsqueda de reconocimiento, agencia, participación y autonomía. Éste es un artículo que pretende generar una reflexión sobre la importancia de reconocer los cuerpos-territorios de mujeres indígenas y las relaciones que permanecen entre su cultura y el territorio para fortalecer su participación en ámbitos de política pública en la ciudad de Bogotá y, a nivel nacional, en Colombia.
 
ENGLISH ABSTRACT:
This article investigates the processes of deterritorialization and reterritorialization that have had to live in Bogota indigenous women from different parts of Colombia as a result of the armed conflict extended by decades. The interpretative argumentation is carried out from the new communitarian feminisms, the decolonial feminisms that allow to understand the positions of the indigenous women in terms of their search of recognition, agency, participation and autonomy. This is an article that aims to generate a reflection on the importance of recognizing the bodies- territories of indigenous women and the relationships that remain between their culture and the territory to strengthen their participation in public policy areas in the city of Bogotá.
 

Keywords: reterritorialización, cuerpo-territorio, agencias, feminismo comunitario y descolonial, participación, mujeres indígenas, desterritorialización, desterritorialization, reterritorialization, body-territory, agencies, community and decolonial feminism, participation, indigenous women

Topics: Armed Conflict, Coloniality/Post-Coloniality, Displacement & Migration, Feminisms, Indigenous, Political Participation Regions: Americas, South America Countries: Colombia

Year: 2019

A Gendered Imperative: Does Sexual Violence Attract UN Attention in Civil Wars?

Citation:

Benson, Michelle, and Theodora-Ismene Gizelis. 2019. “A Gendered Imperative: Does Sexual Violence Attract UN Attention in Civil Wars?” Journal of Conflict Resolution 64 (1): 167-98.

Authors: Michelle Benson, Theodora-Ismene Gizelis

Abstract:

There is increasing awareness that sexual violence is distinct from other aspects of civilian victimization in civil wars. Few studies have examined the independent impact of such violence on responses to civil wars as compared to “traditional” forms of violence. This article explores whether reports of high levels of rape and sexual violence increase the probability of United Nations (UN) attention to conflicts and calls to action. In so doing, we combine original data on UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions with data on sexual violence in armed conflict and estimate the impact of sexual violence on UN attention to all civil wars from 1990 to 2009. We show that the effects of sexual violence on the number and level of UNSC resolutions are significant even when controlling for other important determinants of UN action. These findings have important implications for understanding how the UN has expanded its view on protecting civilians.

 

Keywords: war crimes, international organization, internal armed conflict, civil wars

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, International Organizations, Justice, War Crimes, Sexual Violence, UN Security Council Resolutions on WPS, Violence

Year: 2019

“Provide Care for Everyone Please”: Engaging Community Leaders as Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocates in North and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Citation:

Steven, Victoria J., Julianne Deitch, Erin Files Dumas, Meghan C. Gallagher, Jimmy Nzau, Augustin Paluku, and Sara E. Casey. 2019. ““Provide Care for Everyone Please”: Engaging Community Leaders as Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocates in North and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Reproductive Health 16. doi: 10.1186/s12978-019-0764-z.

Authors: Victoria J. Steven, Julianne Deitch, Erin Files Dumas, Meghan C. Gallagher, Jimmy Nzau, Augustin Paluku, Sara E. Casey

Abstract:

Background: Inadequate infrastructure, security threats from ongoing armed conflict, and conservative socio-cultural and gender norms that favour large families and patriarchal power structures contribute to poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes in North and South Kivu provinces, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In order to expand contraceptive and post-abortion care (PAC) access in North and South Kivu, CARE, the International Rescue Committee and Save the Children provided technical support to the Ministry of Health and health facilities in these regions. Partners acknowledged that community leaders, given their power to influence local customs, could play a critical role as agents of change in addressing inequitable gender norms, stigma surrounding SRH service utilization, and topics traditionally considered taboo within Congolese society. As such, partners actively engaged with community leaders through a variety of activities such as community mapping exercises, values clarification and transformation (VCAT) activities, situational analyses, and education.
 
Methods: This manuscript presents findings from 12 key informant interviews (KIIs) with male political and non-political community leaders conducted in six rural health zones of North and South Kivu, DRC. Transcripts were analysed thematically to explore community leaders’ perceptions of their role in addressing the issue of unintended pregnancy in their communities.
 
Results: While community leaders in this study expressed overall positive impressions of contraception and strong support for ensuring access to PAC services following spontaneous and induced abortions, the vast majority held negative beliefs concerning women who had induced abortion. Contrasting with their professed opposition to induced abortion, leaders’ commitment to mediating interpersonal conflict arising between community members and women who had abortions was overwhelming.
 
Conclusion: Results from this study suggest that when thoughtfully engaged by health interventions, community leaders can be empowered to become advocates for SRH. While study participants were strong supporters of contraception and PAC, they expressed negative perceptions of induced abortion. Given the hypothesized link between the presence of induced abortion stigma and care-avoidance behavior, further engagement and values clarification exercises with leaders must be integrated into community mobilization and engagement activities in order to increase PAC utilization.

Keywords: abortion, contraception, community leader, post-abortion care, DRC, Qualitative, community mobilization

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Gender Roles, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Health, Reproductive Health, Infrastructure, International Organizations Regions: Africa, Central Africa Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Year: 2019

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