Community-Based Reintegration of War-Affected Young Mothers: Participatory Action Research (PAR) in Liberia, Sierra Leone & Northern Uganda

During the past decade, the international community has come to recognize that girls participate in armed groups and forces in substantial numbers. The majority of girls associated with armed forces or armed groups (CAAFAG) do not go through formal or informal disarmament, demobilization, reintegration (DDR) processes. This is particularly the case for girls who became pregnant or had children during their time associated with armed forces or groups (i.e.young mothers). These pregnancies are often the result of rape or forced motherhood from “bush marriages” with male combatants. These young mothers most often return to communities on their own, where they and their children frequently experience marginalization and stigmatization by their families and communities and are vulnerable to gender-specific discrimination and rights’ violations.