In this policy brief, we discuss the implications of conflict for gender-based violence, with a special focus on the ongoing war in Ukraine. Acknowledging the specific conflict-related risks that women face is important, in order to target interventions, especially considering that the actors that sit at peace negotiation tables are predominantly or exclusively men. It shall also serve as an important reference book for sociologists and policy makers.The eruption of war exposes women to increased gender-based violence, in the immediate conflict area as well as in the countries where they seek refuge. This book is essential reading for therapists and clinicians from varying fields, including psychiatry, psychosomatics, general medicine, and gynecology. It looks at the implications of these findings for mental health policies and programs, and further, it strives to stimulate discussion and debate that will hopefully lead to pro-action not only in the medical but also in the political field. It reviews violence against women in different parts of the world and discusses its prevalence, nature and underlying causes. It is authored by internationally renowned experts, and is both enlightening and thought-provoking. This book, which is the first comprehensive overview, discusses current evidence of the links between violence against women and mental health. However, to date, psychiatry and psychotherapy have widely neglected violence as an influencing factor on mental health. The mental sequelae of abused women includes posttraumatic stress syndromes, anxiety and depressive disorders, suicidality, substance abuse, and dissociative and somatoform disorders.

Violence against women is a global problem that includes domestic violence, sexual abuse of girls and women, trafficking of women, violence in humanitarian crisis settings, violence against female patients including abuse of doctor-patient relationships, and harassment and discrimination of women at the workplace.

Sexual violence in armed conflict