The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA

A major premise <strong>of</strong> gender-difference theory based on common feminist
thought is that men are exclusively aggressive and violent, whereas women are
docile and peaceful. <strong>The</strong> general view <strong>of</strong> women’s being against war, however,
has been challenged many times. 12 <strong>The</strong> conflicts in the Balkan region have
shown that several women supported the war, but did so differently from their
partners who were directly involved in the conflict. In 1991, the image <strong>of</strong> the
Serbian women cheering and waving to their husbands, sons, brothers and
fathers going to fight in Croatia is a powerful, persistent image in common
memories <strong>of</strong> the war. Another memorable image, however, involves Serbian
women who protested the war at Belgrade’s main square.
<strong>The</strong>re are also several challenges to the view that men are exclusively
pro-conflict. Historically, male soldiers have had the most to lose in conflicts.
However, those who fail to live up to social expectations <strong>of</strong> bravery are frequently
stigmatized and severely punished by both men and women. 13 During conflicts
in the Balkan region, many men, particularly young men, left their countries to
avoid fighting. <strong>The</strong>se men still bear severe punishment for contributing to the
conflict. In Serbia, men who defect are proclaimed ethnic traitors, which is the
most serious stigma in Serbian culture. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, these men
are <strong>of</strong>ten blacklisted, resulting in difficulty finding jobs and open verbal abuse.
Women are less inclined to participate in conflict and violence because
they are excluded from political and social life and decision-making, and depend
economically on men. 14 Women continue to be aligned with family care and
social assistance responsibilities. As a result, women dominated assistance
work during the conflict, which marked the beginning <strong>of</strong> civil societies in the
Balkans.
<strong>The</strong> scope <strong>of</strong> violence in war is drastic and sometimes beyond
comprehension. It is a force, however, that triggers strong response in unifying
and organizing those against violence. NGO activities that research and address
violence have developed different methods to deal with post-conflict regions. In
1992, the world media news about mass rape <strong>of</strong> Muslim and other women in
Bosnia and Herzegovina resulted in vast initiatives, particularly for women, to
assist victims <strong>of</strong> rape and torture in the camps. In this context, many NGOs
encountered a wider range <strong>of</strong> violence against women, not just rape. Some
violence was connected to the war, specifically, traumatized men; some was
previously existing violence in the family; and some constituted new types <strong>of</strong>
violence caused by the horrific, unpredictable circumstances <strong>of</strong> war and
displacement. <strong>The</strong> ways in which post-war violence and long-standing domestic
12 Byrne, Gender, p. 20.
13 Ibid.
14 A. Weir, Sacrificial Logics: Feminist <strong>The</strong>ory and the Critique <strong>of</strong> Identity (New York/London:
Routledge, 1996).
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