ICERAS

This paper looks at „space‟ for women in the context of transitional justice in post-conflict
countries. It connects lack of „symbolic‟ spaces for dealing with violence against women in
transitional justice mechanisms with the subsequent failure to deliver „physical‟ spaces for
women‟s reintegration into communities. It also considers how women could benefit more
from transitional justice.
In times of conflict, violence can flare up – and women and children are usually
disproportionately affected. Often, their only option is to flee, leaving behind their homes and
communities; they lose the „space‟ in which they belong, their livelihoods, and a safe place to
raise their children. Men and boys are typically recruited by either side to the conflict and
women are left in charge of households. In cases where women and girls are also recruited by
the military, as in Eritrea, they are often used as comfort girls and required to „service‟ the
hierarchy, including providing sexual favours. Violence against women can result in shame,
responsibility for offspring born out of wedlock, and rejection by their family and community.
Women who fall pregnant in the military can find themselves released from service, but
unable to return home. Isolated from their families and communities, women and girls who
are victims of conflict-related sexual violence (either in the military or as civilians) are often
destitute, with place to go. This can force them to take the dangerous journey to leave their
place of origin, becoming internally displaced persons (IDPs) or refugees. As refugees,
women and girls readmore