Post-Return Challenges: Women's Crisis After the Conflict

Abstract

The present study tries to shed light on the needs of women who have returned to their areas after prolonged displacement due to conflict, and to provide an understanding of the challenges they face in accessing rights and services, as well as the coping mechanisms they adopt to address these challenges. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. A total of 15 interviews were conducted, targeting key stakeholders (governmental and non-governmental) and women who had returned to their villages. In addition, a social survey method was used, with a sample of 206 women distributed across 20 villages in Sinsil Basin districts of Diyala Governorate.

The findings indicate that the destruction of livelihood systems has significantly reduced women’s ability to meet household needs after their return. Many women and their families were unable to resume their economic activities. Women were compelled to adopt alternative survival strategies to cope with resource shortages, and some initiated their own small-scale production projects from their homes. The conflict has doubled the proportion of women who are the sole breadwinners for their families, making them fully responsible for earning a living. Many of these women also suffer from psychological distress caused by the additional burdens placed on them and the necessity of providing for their families.