Getting the guns off the ground: Gender and security critiques of DDR in Sierra Leone

Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration initiatives in Sierra Leone have been hailed highly successful best practice models and criticized as gender-blind and failing women and girls. As two positions that are encountered most often with Sierra Leone as a case of post-conflict reconstruction, they present a contradiction that is not well-explained in cursory literature that is most readily accessible to the public, which results in perpetuating the contradictory views of DDR in Sierra Leone, creating a problematic discourse surrounding broader issues of gender and post-conflict reconstruction. These differences can best be framed in terms of gender and security. Normative interpretations of DDR processes within the larger framework of peacebuilding and post-conflict management prioritize aspects of gender-mainstreaming, and the wide-ranging social protection issues that accompany these approaches, or interpretations advocate for the provision of security as prerequisite for other reconstruction operations to begin. In examining these perspectives in order to reconcile their differences, an intermediate option has emerged: dividing reintegration into transitional assistance and longer-term reintegration assistance, to ensure security objectives are met and can support holistic social protection efforts that address gender-specific needs.