Collective Reintegration: Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants

Based on a study of 153 interviews in Colombia, Guatemala, and Nepal, the document finds that female ex-combatants who reintegrate collectively are more socially and politically active than those who reintegrate individually. Collective reintegration helps women maintain the progressive gender relations experienced within certain armed groups, providing security, economic support, and childcare that facilitate leadership and political participation. The author notes that the UN Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS) currently neglect collective reintegration in favor of breaking down command structures, and recommends that the UN explicitly include it as a viable alternative to improve post-conflict gender equality.

• Female ex-combatants who choose collective reintegration exhibit higher levels of social and political activity post-conflict than those who reintegrate individually or with a spouse.
• Collective reintegration allows women to preserve progressive gender relations experienced in armed groups, protecting them from returning to traditional patriarchal structures and gender-based violence in their home societies.
• The benefits of collective reintegration include increased leadership opportunities, high levels of interaction with neighboring communities to promote gender equality, and practical supports such as childcare and shared economic security.
• Female ex-combatants who reintegrate individually face greater obstacles, including male chauvinism, harassment for having joined armed groups, and the need to conceal their identities to avoid stigmatization.
• The UN Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS) do not explicitly list collective reintegration as an alternative, likely because the standards prioritize the "breakdown of armed groups’ command structures."

APA

Hauge, W. I. (2023). Collective Reintegration: Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/4d18d774-1711-4dc2-9ffa-910556339f65/Hauge - Collective Reintegration Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants GPS Policy Brief 3-2023.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Hauge, Wenche Iren. Collective Reintegration: Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2023. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/4d18d774-1711-4dc2-9ffa-910556339f65/Hauge - Collective Reintegration Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants GPS Policy Brief 3-2023.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hauge |first1=Wenche Iren |title=Collective Reintegration: Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=March 2023 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/4d18d774-1711-4dc2-9ffa-910556339f65/Hauge - Collective Reintegration Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants GPS Policy Brief 3-2023.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hauge2023collective, author = {Hauge, Wenche Iren}, title = {{Collective Reintegration: Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/4d18d774-1711-4dc2-9ffa-910556339f65/Hauge - Collective Reintegration Social and Political Advantages for Female Ex-Combatants GPS Policy Brief 3-2023.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }