On the Frontlines Gender, War, and the Post-Conflict Process

Gender oppression has been a feature of war and conflict throughout human history, yet until fairly recently, little attention was devoted to addressing the consequences of violence against women in post-conflict states. Thankfully, that is changing. Today, in a variety of post-conflict settings--the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, West Africa, and Central Africa--international advocates for women's rights have focused on integrating (or "mainstreaming") gender-based policies into national reconciliation processes. InOn the Frontlines, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Dina Francesca Haynes, and Naomi Cahn consider such policies in a range of cases and assess the extent to which they have had success in improving women's lives. They argue that there has been too little success, and that this is in part a product of a focus on schematic policies like straightforward political incorporation rather than a broader and deeper attempt to alter the cultures and societies that are at the root of much of the violence toward women. They contend that this broader approach would not just benefit women, however. Gender mainstreaming and increased gender equality has a direct correlation with state stability and tends to preclude further conflict. If we are to have any success in stabilizing failing states, gender needs to move to fore of our efforts. With this in mind, they look at the efforts of both transnational organizations and internal groups in four countries to build civil societies that feature more gender equality.

Fionnuala N Aolin is Dorsey Whitney Chair in Law at the University of Minnesota Law, and School Professor Associate Director of the Transitional Justice Institute at the University of Ulster. Dina Francesca Haynes is Professor of Law and Director of the Human Rights and Immigration Law Project at New England Law, Boston. Naomi Cahn is John Theodore Fey Research Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School.