Violence against women in peace and war: cases from the Middle East

In this book, the author examines violence against women in the Middle East and North Africa. She investigates the normalization of an environment in which violence against women is routinely accepted, how this environment intensifies during periods of conflict, and how it is being challenged by the efforts of Arab women activists and law-makers, international and local. Through a narrative research approach, the author compares violence experienced by women across a range of settings. She argues (1) violence against women, including sexual violence, tends to increase during periods of conflict; (2) such practices are legitimized by an already existing environment in which violence against women is tolerated; (3) women are building strategies, both at local and regional levels, to combat and eliminate violence, thus enabling them to play a more constructive role in processes of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction; (4) the greater the commitment by public authorities to creating sound local frameworks to address violence against women, including domestic violence, the stronger will be Arab women’s ability to resist conflict violence; and (5) a higher representation of women in law-making bodies and positions of power is likely to have an impact on attitudes towards violence against women.