Forced 'Marriage' in African Conflicts: Conversations with Activist Researchers

Description

This roundtable discussion will feature speakers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Uganda who work with survivors of conflict-related violence. They are all collaborators on the SSHRC-funded project “Conjugal Slavery in War: Partnerships for the study of enslavement, marriage, and masculinities” directed by Dr. Annie Bunting. The Partnership team is made up of historians of slavery, interdisciplinary scholars, international lawyers, frontline service providers and graduate students, and has been working together since 2010. These activist researchers have documented cases of forced marriage in each country’s war through more than 250 interviews and have spoken with survivors about their ongoing needs for reparations. They will discuss the findings of their research with survivors of wartime abduction; how they are using this work in their advocacy efforts for redress; and new work on masculinities and forced marriage, and with children born in conflict situations. The CSiW Partnership will also launch their country reports on conjugal slavery in conflict situations.