Women and wars within states: Internal conflict, women's rights and international security

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive framework for addressing the complex roles of women during internal armed conflict. I argue that despite increasing attention to this issue, it has not been incorporated into the study of international security, and that analyses continue to focus on the implications for humanitarian responses during conflict or for post‐conflict development policies without a comprehensive understanding of the issue throughout all stages of conflict. Without such a framework, international policies have been ad hoc and have generally addressed each stage of conflict in isolation. I attempt to establish a holistic understanding of women's roles throughout internal armed conflict and propose recommendations for incorporation of women into conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding as a crucial step in creating effective mechanisms to address internal armed conflict situations.