Towards More Informed Responses to Gender Violence and HIV/AIDS in Post-Conflict West African Settings By Babatunde Ahonsi CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN WOMEN’S SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND HIV RISKS

CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN WOMEN’S SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND HIV RISKS Post-conflict transitions are very complex and context-determined. However, they can be usefully broken down into three broad, sometimes overlapping, phases: emergency and stabilization (0-11 months post-armed conflict), transition and recovery (12-47 months after the cessation of war), and peace and development (4-10 years post-armed conflict). Each phase is often characterized by counteracting processes and tendencies that operate to fuel or reduce SVAW and the transmission of HIV. It is therefore critical to draw attention to the high probability that post-conflict transitions in West Africa may be conducive to the mutually reinforcing but complex interactions between SVAW and HIV transmission at the individual level. Gender analysis demands that within each broad phase, the five strategic components of post-conflict transition (security, governance, socioeconomic development, justice and reconciliation, and coordination and resource mobilization) be examined according to the extent to which they affect and are affected by the differences between men and women in specific socio-historical contexts. The differentiations requiring close attention are the division of labour in private and public spheres, living conditions and needs, and access to and control over basic and strategic resources such as income, education, information, wealth and decision-making. The analysis also demands attention to gender-class, gender-age and gender-rural/urban residence inter-linkages and differentials. Policy Notes 2010/2