A/HRC/11/6 page 12 with regard to men’s violence against women. My mission reports with respect to countries in conflict and post-conflict zones have documented the link between VAW, conflict and militarism.17 35. Conflict, war and the security agenda have impoverished societies as they have made trade-offs between military spending and spending for development and human rights protection, particularly that of women.18 Post-conflict reconstruction may thus involve privatization of public services and infrastructure that regresses women’s rights by placing greater burden on their labour in the household,19 as well as the establishment of political and legal systems with limited or no significant participation by women.20 36. A political economy approach stresses that stability without justice is not possible. The prioritization of national security and electoral machinery by governments over human security in many post-conflict situations has proven to be destabilizing in the long run. Insofar as women are unable to access justice, physical security and socio-economic rights, their vulnerability to violence continues in peace time.21 2. Integrating economic and social rights with civil and political rights 37. The tensions emanating from the dichotomization of the twin Covenants on civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights, which have privileged the former over the latter, have constrained efforts to transform the conditions that underlie gender inequality and violence against women. In this respect, the Committee on economic, social and cultural rights in its statement at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 noted that, “… States and 17 See reports on my missions to El Salvador (E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.2), Guatemala (E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.3), Occupied Palestinian Territories (E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.4), Afghanistan (E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.5), and Democratic Republic of the Congo (A/HRC/7/6/Add.4); and the report of the previous Special Rapporteur entitled “Violence against women perpetrated and/or condoned by the State during times of armed conflict (1997-2000)” (E/CN.4/2001/73). 18 Balakrishnan, Radhika, Why MES with human rights? Integrating macroeconomic strategies with human rights, Manhattan: Marymount Manhattan College, 2004, p. 34 (available at http://www.mmm.edu/news/images/MES-HR_9.71.pdf). 19 Seguino, Stephanie, “The road to gender equality: Global trends and the way forward”, in G. Berik, Y. Rodgers and A. Zammit (eds.). Social Justice and Gender Equality: Rethinking Development Strategies and Macroeconomic Policies, New York: Routledge, 2008, pp. 44-69. 20 Klein calls this “disaster capitalism”. See Klein, Naomi, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, New York: Metropolitan Books, June 2008. 21 See reports on the missions referred to in footnote 17 above.