DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2019.v07i06.004

Pages: 394–397

As it is known to us about the persisting patriarchal domination on women over ages, the objectification of women during conflicting situation as a part of the patriarchal domination can be sensed from time immemorial. During conflicts, by creating the myths of womanhood, women were used as symbol of national, group or ethnic identity where women’s sexuality is objectified and seen as an object to be protected by the men of that nation, community or group against the “Other” i.e from the male of the enemy nation, group or community. Women were used as weapons of war in conflict, when conflict subsided women lacked protection and justice and when conflict ended, women’s hopes for improved rights met with distress and denied. It has been already a patriarchal norm that men are protectors and women needed to be protected. The same phenomena operated during conflict time where men were asked to sacrifice themselves for the safety and honour of women as weaker sex and the symbolic honour paid to ‘Mother Earth”. May be it a national freedom movement, Inter-ethnic war, or national war, women’s body has been the main object of abuse to terrorize both men and women. Women’s body has been as a trophy of war, to celebrate victories and masculinity. Within this context, in this paper an endeavor is made to analyze theoretically the patriarchal construct of women’s body and its objectification during conflict situation from a human rights perspective.