The loss of human lives in Kashmir since the armed conflict began in 1989 is many times more than the combined casualties in the four wars fought between India and Pakistan. The conflict has precipitated a humanitarian crisis of tragic magnitude. Women are being the most vulnerable section of the population adversely affected. One of its repercussions has been the increasing number of widows and half widows. During the last fifteen years a phenomenon new to Kashmir viz. "half widows" has surfaced engulfing a large number of Kashmiri women. There is no accurate number of half widows available. According to media reports and local sources, their number ranges between 1000 and 1500.

Persons are picked up on suspicion by some agency and their whereabouts are not revealed leading to mental trauma for the whole family. It is not known whether that person is alive or dead and this practice has led to emergence of new section of society called "half widows", applying to women who do not know whether their husbands is alive or dead. These women go through an identity crisis owing to the disappearances of their husbands which has led them to be designated as "half widows".

Women whose husbands have died in conflict and they have seen the body are better placed than "half widows". At least they reconcile to the fact that their husbands are no more. But the irony of the "half widows" is that they hope their husbands might be alive and may return one day. This hope could be false, yet in the absence of some proof of death they continue to live in hope. Many women whose husbands have disappeared prefer to wait for them and do not remarry for fear of social ostracism but there are others who defy the norms and remarry. According to some scholars "if after the second marriage of the 'half widow' her husband arrives the previous marriage is dissolved". According to another version if the husband arrives, and the women has gone in for a second marriage, then the second marriage is dissolved .The third version is that a half widow can remarry after four years of the disappearance of her husband. But the fact remains that a lot of confusion regarding the status of these women is obtaining.

Armed conflict has affected women in many ways, physically, psychologically and economically, because women are more vulnerable in armed conflict than in normal circumstances. The number of cases in the only psychiatric hospital in the Valley has shown an alarming increase. The symptoms shown by the patients include depression, phobias, emotional instability and post traumatic stress disorder. Depression is more apparent in "half widows" as they are unable to perform last rituals which would lessen their grief.

Half widows are struggling to provide food and education to their children. They find it tough to cope with these additional responsibilities. Most of these half widows are illiterate. There have no means of employment and some do menial jobs, like washing dishes and other kind of work which does not meet their financial needs. The families of disappeared persons live in misery and dejection, and suffer financial constraints. The women face several problems that increase with the passage of time. Yet these "half widows" are hopeful that one day their husband will return. Another tragic aspect of this situation is that the disappeared person can only be declared dead under law after seven years, if the body is not handed over to their families. Till then the wife is not entitled to even ex-gratia assistance. In order to put an end to the problem of widows and half widows the existing conflict must be resolved so that the source of this problem is negated.