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Forced Migration takes a heavy toll on people who have very little or nothing to do in conflicts. The most vulnerable among them are women and children. It is said that nearly 80% of victims are women and children. Forced migration has the most alarming consequences among women in armed conflicts, ethic violence and cleansing, political instability and various forms of gender specific human rights violations.

Although entire communities suffer the consequences of armed conflict, women and girls are particularly affected because of their status in society and their sex. Parties in conflict situations often rape women, sometimes using systematic rape as a tactic of war. Other forms of violence against women committed in armed conflict include murder, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy and forced sterilization. Despite this, women should not be viewed solely as victims of war. They assume the key role of ensuring family livelihood in the midst of chaos and destruction, economic recovery and are particularly active in the peace movement at the grassroots level, cultivating peace within their communities, transitional justice and peace building. However, the absence of women at the peace negotiating table is undeniable.

This keynote address examines the uneasy relationship between forced migrations, women, especially in conflict zones, conflict, rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction in international post war contexts, international responses, international legal frameworks apart from arguing that sustainable peace and effective reconstruction require gender-sensitive, rights-based, and inclusive approaches that recognize women not merely as victims of conflict and displacement but as active agents of resilience, social transformation, and reconstruction.