Women, Peace and Security at 25 Years: Expanding the Lens on Violence Against Women and Girls

During times of armed conflict, we often think of the violence that women and girls experience exclusively as sexual violence, most often, rape perpetrated by armed actors. This violence, known as conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), rightly draws global attention, media coverage, and policy responses. However, recent research from the What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale (What Works II) programme shows that CRSV is part of a much broader continuum of gender-based violence that intensifies in conflict settings.

Research from the What Works II programme shows that nearly 40% of women and girls in conflict-affected areas have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime, with 24% reporting such violence in the past 12 months, figures that far exceed global estimates and reveal a silent epidemic of IPV in the shadow of armed conflict. Similarly, lifetime experiences of non-partner sexual violence (21%) are three times higher than global WHO estimates. These findings show that while sexual violence during crises is real and urgent, it represents only one dimension of the violence women and girls face.

This growing body of evidence, generated through the UK's global What Works II programme, underscores the need for integrated, survivor-centered approaches that address CRSV and IPV as interconnected challenges within the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. By focusing primarily on sexual violence during conflict, we risk ignoring the broader landscape of violence that women and girls face, such as intimate partner violence, forced and child marriage, trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse linked to displacement and humanitarian crises, and economic violence that limits survivors’ autonomy and recovery.

The What Works II CRSV Flagship Report underscores how conflict amplifies existing gender inequalities- with displacement, the breakdown of justice systems, and the collapse of social protection structures creating conditions where multiple forms of violence intersect. The report also highlights that climate-related shocks and resource scarcity are increasingly driving conflict-linked violence, and that digital spaces are becoming new arenas for harm through online abuse, coercion, and technology-facilitated sexual violence. These emerging risks reinforce that programming on CRSV cannot stand alone.

These forms of violence may not always make international headlines, but their scale and impact are no less devastating. The international community’s focus on CRSV has been instrumental in framing sexual violence as a serious violation of international law and human rights. Yet this narrow lens can inadvertently marginalise the voices and needs of the many survivors harmed not by enemy combatants, but by those they know intimately - partners, relatives, and neighbours. Integrating CRSV prevention with broader VAWG programming, from economic empowerment and survivor support to community-based norm change, offers a more sustainable path to prevention and response.

To truly address VAWG in conflict settings, we must broaden our lens, moving beyond the battlefield to include homes and communities as critical spaces for prevention and response. The threat is not always from combatants, but often from those closest to the survivor.

To holistically address VAWG in conflict and post-conflict settings, a few key shifts are essential:

• Broader, joined-up action: Interventions in conflict and recovery contexts should look beyond CRSV to address all forms of violence against women and girls. The priority should be timely response, protection, accountability to survivors, and women’s leadership, while supporting primary prevention where feasible. Evidence from the What Works II CRSV Flagship Report shows that integrated, survivor-centered approaches lead to stronger recovery and resilience.

• Better evidence: We need more nuanced data that captures the full range of women’s experiences, from intimate partner violence to trafficking, and helps identify what really works in these complex contexts.

• Putting survivors first: Health, psychosocial, legal, and economic support must be accessible to all survivors, regardless of who the perpetrator is or where the violence occurs.

• Community engagement: Changing harmful norms and reducing stigma takes sustained engagement with communities and survivor groups, building trust and local leadership from the ground up.

Conflict-related sexual violence is a grave violation of human rights that demands urgent and sustained attention. However, it represents only one part of a much broader continuum of violence experienced by women and girls in conflict and post-conflict settings. Improving their lives and well-being requires a more inclusive approach, one that recognises the full spectrum of violence they face and elevates women’s leadership in driving change. To truly honour the spirit of the WPS agenda, we must ensure that funding, policies, and programmes reflect this reality, because every survivor deserves support and justice.

More information

• Read our report on What Works to Prevent Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) 

• Read our What Works to prevent Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) Policy Brief

• Read a summary of our evidence on violence against women and girls in conflict and post-conflict settings