This paper begins by reminding us of a sad reality. Humanity’s ‘better angels’ require that we strive for equality, justice and security for all peoples. However, our ‘demons’ encourage us to pursue self-interest, leading to clashes between and within societies. When resources are scarce, our ‘demons’ tend to hold sway. Furthermore, in such clashes, it is usually the most vulnerable groups in our societies who suffer the most.

The focus of this paper is on one such group – women. With typically low status and marginal participation in decision-making in peacetime, women are consistently subjected to appalling neglect and horrific violence during conflicts. Perpetrators of such acts are not limited to fighters from competing societies; members from the victims’ own societies, even close family members, frequently commit rape and murder against women. Female combatants and other ‘military personnel’, who are often coerced into service, frequently suffer disproportionately at the hands of their male comrades as well as those of enemy combatants.

The impact of conflict on the complex role that women play in many societies in preserving family welfare is also discussed. During time of conflict, women often find themselves alone and entirely responsible for all family affairs, with no support from the traditional male household head and protector. The burden of providing sustenance and protection for their families during times of extreme instability, sometimes borne through hard labor and prostitution, leaves many women exhausted and scarred, both mentally and physically. When conflict ends women are often left widowed, displaced, rejected by their families and ignored by the state.

The paper contends that a humanitarian approach to protecting women from harm during armed conflict is a necessary but insufficient response. Proactive and sustained action during peacetime is required to assert the human rights of women and to strengthen their status in all societies. Such action will not merely serve to reduce the vulnerability of women during conflicts, through strengthening and protecting their roles as the guardians of family welfare in times of peace and war, it will help enhance human security throughout the entire international community of human societies.

This paper serves as clarion call to heads of state and policymakers who justify military action on the grounds of humanitarian relief and freedom, sometimes explicitly citing women as the main beneficiary, to rethink their actions. No matter what the real intentions, these conflicts almost invariably increase the abuse and suffering of women both during and after the conflict, and pass on successive generations of children the notion that abuse of women is inevitable, and even acceptable in certain circumstances. Such conflicts between states can also spark internal conflicts through which women continue to be subjected to abuse away from the international limelight.

World leaders and policymakers would serve the interests of women far more effectively through sustained efforts to eradicate gender-based discrimination and violence from all human societies, both developed and developing. These efforts should focus not only on ensuring that the international legal framework is ‘fit for purpose’ but also on developing effective enforcement mechanisms. Action is also required at the individual state level. Domestic legislation must be brought into line with international law and it must be enforced. Promulgation of the values of gender equality and respect for human rights through formal and informal education systems is also required.

The paper concludes with a challenge to authoritarian regimes which equate national security with an effective state security apparatus, contending that sustainable national security can only be achieved through the human security of all of its citizens.