Coming Home : Female Ex-combatants and their Reintegration into Society

In a world where conflict can be found in numerous places, the need for planned reintegration efforts is frequently discussed. However, it is important to define the topic of reintegration, in order to fully understand what it actually entails. According to the international community and scholars, reintegration can be divided into three main categories; economic, social and political reintegration. During conflict, men are normally described as the foremost violent perpetrators and in turn, the main focus when discussing reintegration as part of DDR processes. However, a large amount of research indicates that female combatants comprise up to 30 percent of certain combat groups (Bouta, Frerks and Bannon 2005, 9). Still, research indicates that the needs of female ex-combatants tend to be ignored in the reintegration programs, resulting in a large number of reoccurring challenges. Therefore, an analytical framework was created using the three categories of reintegration, focusing on specific variables, which was then applied to three case studies; Guatemala, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka. Conclusively, one can argue that general challenges and difficulties regarding reintegration of female ex-combatants do exist.