Armed Conflicts and Domestic Violence: The Case of Kashmir

The prolonged armed conflict in Kashmir is a complex emergency that has led to extreme human insecurity in the region. In situations of complex emergencies like wars, prolonged armed conflict and military occupation, human insecurity intersects with the gender inequities and amplifies the vulnerability of women. As a result, women become vulnerable to violence both within and outside their homes. Studies conducted in regions facing prolonged armed conflicts like Peru, Rwanda, Uganda, and Colombia have shown that exposure to prolonged armed conflicts aggravates violence within family structures. It leads to the normalisation of violence as a tool in resolving family issues and disputes. As a corollary, women living in areas under prolonged armed conflict must face a higher risk of domestic violence (DV). Therefore, in this thesis, I aim to analyze the impact of prolonged armed conflict on domestic violence in one such region, Kashmir. During the last three decades of intense violence in Kashmir, there has been a corresponding increase in the cases of domestic violence against women. Highlighting the impact of the armed conflict on DV is important because the dominant response to DV in Kashmir is very episodic and seen in isolation of the armed conflict.