The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse: Micro-level Evidence from Peru, 1980-2009

The research examines the link between conflict-related violence and intimate-partner violence (IPV) in Peru using a sample of 25,093 married women and data from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The authors find that local exposure to wartime violence significantly increases the risk of IPV, with the effect being most pronounced for conflict-related sexual violence. While other factors like partner alcohol abuse and childhood history of family violence are stronger predictors, the legacy of war remains a statistically significant determinant. The study suggests that public health screening tools in post-conflict settings should include modules on wartime exposure to better identify at-risk populations.

• Exposure to general conflict-related violence in a local area significantly increases the risk that women will experience intimate-partner violence.
• Conflict-related sexual violence has a more substantial impact on the risk of intimate-partner violence than non-sexual conflict violence.
• Quantitatively, a woman in a department-year at the 95th percentile of conflict-related sexual violence (258 incidents) has a 0.44-percentage point higher risk of first-time IPV than one in a low-intensity area.
• A woman in a department-year at the 95th percentile of general conflict violence (8,807 incidents) has a 0.14-percentage point higher risk of first-time IPV than one in a low-intensity area.
• Partner alcohol abuse is one of the strongest determinants of IPV; partners who often get drunk increase a woman's risk of IPV by approximately 5 percentage points compared to non-drinkers.
• Childhood exposure to family violence increases the risk of IPV by approximately 1 percentage point.
• The risk of first-time IPV is highest in the early years of marriage; women married for 5 years have a 5-percentage point lower risk than newlyweds.
• The study identifies three potential mechanisms linking war to IPV: the traumatization and desensitization of perpetrators, the re-victimization of wartime victims, and the societal normalization of violence.

APA

Østby, G., Leiby, M., & Nordås, R. (n.d.). The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse: Micro-level Evidence from Peru, 1980-2009. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1e0ffce1-bf92-49ea-af87-2766d5f9401a/The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse Microlevel Evidence from Peru 1980-2009.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Østby, Gudrun, Michele Leiby, and Ragnhild Nordås. The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse: Micro-level Evidence from Peru, 1980-2009. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1e0ffce1-bf92-49ea-af87-2766d5f9401a/The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse Microlevel Evidence from Peru 1980-2009.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Østby |first1=Gudrun |last2=Leiby |first2=Michele |last3=Nordås |first3=Ragnhild |title=The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse: Micro-level Evidence from Peru, 1980-2009 |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1e0ffce1-bf92-49ea-af87-2766d5f9401a/The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse Microlevel Evidence from Peru 1980-2009.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stbyndlegacy, author = {Østby, Gudrun and Leiby, Michele and Nordås, Ragnhild}, title = {{The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse: Micro-level Evidence from Peru, 1980-2009}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1e0ffce1-bf92-49ea-af87-2766d5f9401a/The Legacy of Wartime Violence on Intimate-Partner Abuse Microlevel Evidence from Peru 1980-2009.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }