Conflict Zones, Mothering in

Mothers in conflict zones must see to the basic needs of food, shelter, and protection for their children and themselves when danger and violence are perpetual. The mothering processes of nurturing and protection are almost impossible during a state of geopolitical and military conflict. Nonetheless, mothering does endure in occupied lands, refugee camps, and even in the case of “children born of war,” the children of local women and occupying or enemy fathers. Rape has been a tool of war for centuries, and recent international conflicts have created sizable populations of children born of these war crimes and the rape victims who must raise them. Researchers have started to investigate the relationships between mothers and children in these contexts, their special needs, and their rights ...