Muslim Women in Conflict: Analysis of Socio-Legal Challenges of Survivors of Enforced Disappearances in Kashmir

This article delves into the nuanced struggles of Muslim women within the socio-political landscape of Kashmir, whose loved ones experienced enforced disappearances by military forces. Using the framework of critical feminist theory and Islamic feminism in particular, this article analyses the agency of Muslim women survivors of enforced disappearances while negotiating their socio-economic problems and legal battles for seeking justice. Using narratives and case study analysis, we shed light on the everyday struggles, socio-economic challenges and legal struggles experienced by these survivors of enforced disappearances of loved ones. We show how enforced disappearances have a socio-economic and psychological impact on the lives of women whose loved ones have been forcibly disappeared. Apart from continuing their everyday struggles, these women also engaged with the court of law to pursue the cases of their disappeared loved ones. Moreover, amid violent conflict in Kashmir and disappeared male members of a family, the gender roles change. Broadly, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between gender and conflict by analyzing the multifaceted challenges experienced by survivors in Kashmir, thus indicating a possibility for strengthening social work advocacy and support in conflict zones.