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Gender and Conflict
Women and children make up to 80 per cent of the refugees or internally displaced persons. Women fall prey to sexual violence, torture, rape, forced prostitution, sexual slavery and forced conscription in war. Women lose fathers, husbands, sons, property and employment in war. The introductory chapter discusses situations where there is room for conflict. Besides discussing these as active participants in war, what really is unique is the silent conflict, which arises when the male head goes missing from home for a long duration. The woman perforce has to step into the shoes of the head of the family. She takes on herself the responsibility of feeding and looking after the family. Once she is firmly established, the male of the family comes back and expects his position back. Usually these men are unemployed, injured or maimed in war and thus, unable to take care of themselves. They are not in a position to call the shots that leaves them frustrated and seething with anger. This leads to a conflict between the husband and the wife that takes the form of domestic violence. The woman, on the other hand, is at a loss to understand why her efforts to care for her family during the absence of her husband are not being appreciated. The mental torture takes a toll on her health, for she is criticised for all the hard work she had put in the past. Chapter 1 explores the concept of gender and the identity of women. She gives examples of gender stereotyping that is psychologically conditioned in the man-woman relationships in India. She brings out how some religious cults define the power of women through the goddesses they worship. She says, "The Brahmins tried to resolve the contradiction culturally and politically first by acknowledging that women do have power, and then trying to establish and perpetuate the theory that the same power must be controlled by men in society lest it should become ‘dangerous’." In Chapter 2, the conflict is defined and analysed, categorised into economic, religious, resource, and small-arm military and ethnic conflict. The causes of the conflict have been discussed and the repercussions on women have been given. The account of the torture inflicted on women in various countries by the police, military and civilians leaves one horrified. The author has not minced words while writing about these incidents, so the facts are in your face. Her conclusion is right: "The ultimate targets of sexual/political violence are male members of the family. The attackers believe that they can influence the men in the family by terrorising the women." Chapter 3, A global Perspective on Women and Conflict, discusses conflict description, roles of men and women, changes in identities and impact on rights and relationships in different conflict-ridden countries like Guatemala, Kosovo, Afghanistan, South Africa, Pakistan and in developed countries like Sweden and Germany. The cases are deposition by different people, social workers working with either the United Nations or the NGOs and scholars based in their respective countries. This makes the study a first-hand account of the harsh realities. The last chapter is analytical, as it questions the actual role of women participation in the world affairs. Giving examples of women active in the national as well as the international arena, Shoma ponders whether the inclusion of women is genuine or just another strategy to appease the liberal West, which advocates women equality throughout the world. The western world contends that women are miserably exploited in the Asian and African countries, while what is ironic is that the largest number of women as heads of the government has been from South Asia. It’s research like this that leaves you pondering. |
THE status of women has
become the focal point of many studies, but Shoma A. Chatterji has
redefined gender and conflict. Women not only give birth but also
nurture families. Whenever there is any conflict, it is they who get a
raw deal, be it violence within the family, tribal enmity or war, it’s
the women who face the brunt of everything.