Promoting IDPs' and Women's Voices in Post-Conflict Georgia

FACTORS INFLUENCING IDPS’ AND WOMEN’S PARTICIPATIONPsychosocial FactorsLooking internally at IDPs as individuals and members of communities, psychosocial factors play aunique role in influencing IDPs’ participation in public life. Issues range from shifting gender roles totrauma to passivity. For many IDPs, these factors influence their sense of identity, as do changingsocioeconomic dynamics within IDP families and communities. Displaced women in Georgia haveassumed new responsibilities within their families and communities, opening up space for theirincreased participation in the public sphere. As a result of the traumatic experiences of the wars in1991-1994 and 2008, many IDPs also face problems related to their physical and mental health. 256 Yearsof displacement, marginalization and uncertainty about the future have exacerbated these problems.Despite psychosocial barriers, IDPs have proven their resilience and support for one another. Recentcases of IDPs mobilizing to address issues such as domestic violence and conflict resolution highlight that256 UNIFEM, “Rapid Needs Assessment of Internally Displaced Women: Findings and Recommendations,” Institute for PolicyStudies, Oct 2008, 19.54