CONFLICT AND POST-CONFLICT RESEARCH
Helen Liebling has been carrying out applied research with survivors of conflict and post-conflict sexual violence and torture in Africa since 1998 and refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. Please find a link to recent publications, funding awarded and conflict research carried out (Coventry University Research CV).
Helen’s concern is to capture the voices and lived experiences of African women, men and children regarding their experiences and the gendered effects of conflict and post-conflict sexual and gender-based sexual violence and torture. Helen is inspired by the resilience and strength that survivors demonstrate in the midst of such adversities. How do survivors understand the effects of their experiences? To whom do they look for health and justice service responses and support? What assists their recovery?
Helen found that Africans have their own culturally sensitive ways of understanding the collective impact of their experiences. My research also revealed that sexual violence and torture has had a devastating impact on the physical, reproductive and mental health and rights of African people and there is a lack of effective health and justice services to respond. The premise of my research is that only by understanding how African survivors themselves understand the effects of their experiences and their needs, as well as the health and justice providers views of current service provision, will governments, policy makers and donors be in a position to determine how best services should be delivered in order to meet these outstanding needs and ensure fairness, effectiveness, equity and sustainability.
Helen has had her conflict research policy recommendations adopted by the pre-consultative meeting in gender mainstreaming in the African Union and the executive summary and published book were presented to the President of Uganda who stated he would act on their recommendations. Furthermore, the South African Correctional Department recommended implementation of my research and policy recommendations to inform services for conflict survivors at trauma centres opened in Gulu and Kitgum, northern Uganda.
Helen has supervised 44 Doctorate theses to completion and the subject areas include; Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Torture, Domestic Violence, Military and Veteran research and Refugees and Asylum Seekers.
Helen also has good experience of External Examining and PhD examination.
Helen is able to provide applied research in the above and following areas and am also interested in other opportunities to extend my expertise:
• Survivors of conflict, post-conflict and non-conflict sexual and gender-based violence and torture, with specialist expertise in the Africa region.
• Refugees and asylum seekers.
• Qualitative and participatory methods.
• Qualitative interviewing.
• Sexual and gender-based violence and human rights abuses.
• Reproductive and sexual rights.
• Health and justice service provision, including holistic model of service provision.
Further information regarding Helen’s research expertise is found at:
