Dr Natasha Singh Raghuvanshi1
1La Trobe University, Australia
Biography:
Natasha Singh Raghuvanshi is lecturer in international Relations at La Trobe University. She holds a PhD from Monash University in International Relations and Politics, focusing on the Women, Peace, and Security agenda through a gendered state theoretical lens. Her interdisciplinary work contributes to scholarship on gender and armed conflict, and she has extensive experience as a peace and security practitioner in Kashmir, India, and with the Women, Peace and Security coalition in Australia.
Abstract:
This paper examines Domestic Violence (DV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in conflict zones as a systemic and security issue within the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) framework. In militarised contexts, women’s survival strategies are shaped by the dual pressures of domestic abuse and state violence. Decisions not to report abuse, often framed as survival strategies, reflect a prioritisation of collective familial welfare over individual autonomy. These choices underscore a critical reality: state institutions are frequently perceived as complicit in violence rather than as protectors, discouraging women from seeking help. This dynamic situates domestic violence as inseparable from broader structures of insecurity in highly militarised zones. This paper argues that domestic violence in conflict zones is not just a private issue but a critical security concern. Ignoring it in WPS frameworks perpetuates cycles of violence, undermines peacebuilding, and delays justice and recovery in post-conflict societies. By centering IPV and DV as a security concern, this research not only fills a significant gap in the WPS agenda but also provides actionable insights for policymakers, activists, and scholars seeking to dismantle structures of violence and build inclusive peace processes.