War constitutes a profound psychological crisis that disrupts individual mental health, collective identity, and intergenerational well-being. Beyond physical destruction, armed conflict produces enduring psychological sequelae, including trauma-related disorders, affective dysregulation, and disruptions in sexual and relational functioning. Forced migration and undignified treatment of the women victims of sexual assaults by the combatants, in particular, represent a permanent and major mental health stressor, as refugees transition from immediate survival threats to chronic insecurity, loss and trauma-related psychopathology, a journey from certain death to uncertain life. Conflict-related sexual violence and gender-based violence constituted pervasive forms of trauma during the war and were inflicted by actors on both sides of the conflict. The Pakistan Army, together with its collaborators and Razakars, perpetrated systematic sexual violence against girls, women and other noncombatant civilians in East Pakistan, resulting in profound and enduring psychosexual trauma. At the same time, segments of the Mukti Bahini were also implicated in acts of sexual violence, targeting family members of Pakistan Army personnel and civilians labelled as collaborators or perceived opponents of the liberation movement. These violations underscore how sexual violence functioned as a weapon of war, producing long-term psychological, sexual and intergenerational consequences that extend beyond the immediate context of armed conflict.
Walwadkar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.