Journal article by Erin Bernstein, DPDF 2012 Gender Justice in the Era of Human Rights codirector Pamela Scully, Kou Gbaintor-Johnson and Rob Stephenson in the Journal of Peacebuilding & Development.

Armed conflict and exposure to violence contribute to high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and create challenges to the implementation of effective IPV prevention strategies in post-war settings. At the societal and community levels, post-war settings. At the societal and community levels, post-war challenges include destroyed infrastructure (contributing to minimal social services and institutional corruption), internal population displacement (allowing civilians and ex-combatants to live in close proximity), and devastated economies (translating into economic inopportunity and shifting gender roles) (Merry 2006; Vyas & Watts 2008). Exposure to violence influences individual distress and increased drug and alcohol use in post-war periods, which in turn affect IPV rates (Annan & Brier 2010). Interpersonal factors, such as compromised household gender roles (e.g., men’s inability to protect and provide for their families during and after war), also contribute to increased IPV.