Women and Armed Conflict: Widows in Kashmir

The armed conflict in the state of J and K has touched the lives of all the people living in the Valley in some way or the other. Though, many women have become direct and indirect victims of this conflict. They have faced violence either indirectly in the form of loss/death of near and dear ones or become the direct victims of torture, assault etc. The paper is a sociological account of the experiences of the women who have lost their husbands to this Conflict going on in the Valley from the last two decades. The researcher utilizes the research tools of in-depth interview to understand and highlight the loss, deprivation and social stigma faced by these women which has more or less become a ‘Social Reality’ of their lives. It focuses on the personal narratives of these women highlighting the multiple experiences of deprivation and loss faced by them. The social stigma faced by these widows is also analyzed but at the same time, the paper highlights an important fact that in the struggle for survival these women have emerged stronger and an overwhelming majority of them is heading the households they live in. Key words: Widows, armed conflict, widows, deprivation, trauma, social stigma.