Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration

Maintaining sustainable peace at the end of conflict is often contingent on the successful disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of combatants. It is a complex process that aims to deal with the security problems that arise during the transition from conflict to peace, when ex-combatants are left without livelihoods or support networks.

With the objective of contributing to post-conflict security and stability, DDR activities include:

• Disarmament – The collection, documentation, control and disposal of small arms, ammunition, explosives and light and heavy weapons.
• Demobilization – The formal and controlled discharge of active combatants from armed forces or other armed groups.
• Reinsertion – The provision of basic necessities to ex-combatants in the short term, including food, clothes and shelter, as well as training.
• Reintegration – The long-term social and economic process by which ex-combatants acquire civilian status and gain sustainable employment and income.

Ex-combatants can meet many difficulties when they return to their communities, including physical and psychosocial trauma, sexually transmitted diseases, stigmatization and rejection.

Women & DDR

Women face particular challenges when conflict ends. Most female ex-combatants have been forcibly recruited and subjected to sexual violence, though some have been willing recruits or family members of combatants. These women have played various roles within armed groups during conflict, ranging from soldiers, trainers, spies, guards, messengers, medics, cooks and caregivers, to forced labourers and sexual slaves.

Women and girls are often not consulted or considered in the development of DDR processes, resulting in support that is not accessible to them or that does not meet their needs. For example, women may be unaware of their eligibility for DDR programmes, DDR planners or commanders of armed groups may exclude women and girls from DDR lists, and women may fear being stigmatized by their communities for their roles during conflict. Even when women are included, they often receive significantly less support and compensation than their male counterparts.

Moreover, DDR processes tend to ignore the distinct challenges facing women and girls, such as the burden of caring for children born of wartime rape or lack of access to livelihood opportunities due to illiteracy, discrimination and other factors. Frequently, the result is that reintegrating women lack the support needed to effectively transition into communities. Some are forced to turn to prostitution or other illicit activities in order to survive and provide for dependants, while other vulnerable females remain with their captors and “husbands” even after conflict has ended.

DDR programmes also typically focus on economic and social integration, but often fail to adequately deal with the psychosocial trauma of ex-combatants. A significant proportion of female combatants has suffered sexual and gender-based violence, resulting in children born of rape, high levels of sexually transmitted diseases, rejection or stigmatization by families, and other trauma. Male perpetrators and ex-combatants also suffer from high levels of post-traumatic stress, stigmatization and other issues. This can increase the risk that they will continue to perpetrate sexual and gender-based violence after conflict has ended.

UN Women’s Approach

UN Women participates in the UN Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR to revise the UN’s Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS) and better integrate gender as a cross-cutting issue in modules and operational guidance notes. Additionally, UN Women collaborates with UNFPA and UNDP in assessing the gender-responsiveness of DDR programming in specific countries.

UN Women’s work on DDR falls into three categories:

Policy Analysis & Standards Development

• Promoting understanding on women’s multiple roles during and after conflict, including as combatants, supporters and civilian women affected by the demobilization and reintegration of fighters.
• Increasing awareness and advocacy aimed at ensuring that women’s participation and gender perspectives are consistently considered in the development and implementation of all DDR processes, from design to evaluation.
• Supporting the development of minimum standards on the inclusion of women and gender perspectives in DDR processes.

Programming & Operational Support

• Supporting women to organize around transitional processes in post-conflict societies, and strengthening partnerships with organizations of female former combatants.
• Supporting broader peacebuilding and transition processes, including justice and security sector reform.

Capacity Building

• Enabling female participants from DDR processes to share experiences and views on priorities and challenges with other women and members of the international community.