Gender peace and

conflict
Peace, Conflict Theory and Practice
Defining Gender
• Gender refers to a social and cultural construct which
differentiates the roles of men and women and defines how they
relate\interact in a given society
• Gender and gender roles are culturally specific, learned and
changeable
• Gender intersects with other relations of power such age, race,
class, religion, ethnicity etc.
• Power is a fundamental component of gender and power
imbalances affect gender relations
• Gender analysis attempts to exposes basic and pervasive
inequalities that exists both across and within other inequalities
• Gender analysis emphasizes not only the importance of collective
identities (such as women and men), but also the relationships
between and within them.
Gender and conflict
• There is growing recognition that violent
conflict impacts differently on men and
women due to the inherent gendered
power relations that exist in most
societies.
• The differential experience of war has
serious consequences for both short-term
survival and longer-term recovery and
development.
GENDER AND WAR
• During violent conflict/war the established social order is
threatened from within and from external factors
• Organised violence destroys the concept of civility and
values that societies previously upheld
• The way the body is brutalized is gendered, women often
the victims of sexual violence
• The notion of “purity” creates battles over women’s
bodies
• Sexual violence is a weapon of war
• Gender roles are more polarized men as soldiers women
as victims and care givers
Women and conflict
• Women contribute to war and violence
willingly or through force
• Women are actors during conflict as
combatants, non combatants
• Women’s roles in conflict often change as
they assume leadership of homes and
villages in the absence of men
GENDER AND WAR
• Violence and insecurity intensifies gender
differences
• Militarized masculinities heightened
• Women take part in war but in gendered terms
often as supportive role or as substitutes for males-
cooks, carriers
• Young girls child soldiers and “wives”
• Women experience violence directly as victims of
violations and indirectly through the burden of
familial care, witnessing the abuse and nursing the
wounded.
Impact of conflict on women
• Compulsive displacement as IDPs or
refugees
• Increase in child marriages
• Increased maternal mortality
• Restrictions in movement
• Increased emotional and psychological
trauma
• Increased unemployment and diminished
livelihood options
Impact cont.
• Increased social and domestic violence
• Increase in child headed families through
death and abandonment
• Increased workload and health hazards
• Vulnerability to trafficking
• Widows face loss of identity
• Victims of sexual violence are stigmatized
and ostracized
• Honour killing of victims of abuse
Women and peacebuilding
• Household levels
• Community levels
• Case studies of women advocating for
peace e.g. women of Liberia and DRC
women during the Sun City peace talks in
SA
CHALLENGES to PB
• Absence of institutional support from state in post conflict
• Traditions and family institutions are difficult to rebuild after
conflict
• Africa’s dependency of development aid restricts
peacebuilding work
• Development work is directed by funders
• Inadequate resources
• Security risks
Beijing declaration 1995
12 critical areas were identified for strategic action
• The burden of poverty on women
• unequal access to education and training
• unequal access to health care and related
services
• Violence against women
• Effects of armed conflict on women
• Inequality in access to resources
• Inequality in sharing power at all levels of
decision making
Beijing declaration
• insufficient mechanisms for women’s advancement
• inadequate promotion and protection of human rights
of women
• inequality in women's access to and participation in all
communication systems, especially in the media
• Gender inequalities in the management of natural
resources and in the safeguarding of the environment
• Persistent discrimination against and violation of the
rights of the girl child
Beijing Platform
The Beijing Platform of action emphasised the role of men
and boys in achieving gender equality because;
• Men comprise key decision makers in communities
,government, politics ,religion education, business
• Attitudes of some men continue to promote inequality
• The culture of workplaces continue to reflect masculine
practices
• Gender issues continue to be given low priority by
governments
UNSCR 1325
• On 31 October 2000 the UN Security council
unanimously adopted SCR 1325 on women’s peace and
security
• UNSCR 1325 was prompted by the realisation that in the
post cold war era, war was increasing waged on the
bodies of unarmed civilians.
• Women and children form the bulk of the civilian
population affected by war and conflict as IDPs, refugees
and victims of different forms of violence particularly
sexual violence
• UNSCR 1325 was based on Geneva Conventions and
additional protocols(1949)
UNSCR 1325
• Geneva conventions defined rights and protection of non
combatants and was ratified by 196 countries
• Resolution 1325 has 4 main pillars which are Prevention,
Protection , Participation and Relief & Recovery
Participation articles 1,2,3,
• Representation of women at all levels in the
management and resolution of conflict including UN
entities
• Protection-articles 5,6,the UN to provide to member
states guidelines and material on the rights and needs of
women in conflict,
UNSCR 1325
• Protection from sexual violence and other forms of
gender based violence particularly rape
• Respect of international law by parties to armed conflict.
Prevention measures;
• State parties to end impunity and prosecute perpetrators
of war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity
• SG to carry out study on impact of armed conflict
• DDR to consider needs and rights of women
• UN to engage and consult local and international
women’s groups
UNSCR 1325
• Advancement of relief and recovery measures to
address crises through a gendered lens by respecting the
civilian and humanitarian nature of refugee camps.
• UNSCR 1325 is implemented through National Action
Plans (NAPs) which are policy tools used by the national
governments to coordinate and integrate UNSCR in the
various government departments
• 24 countries have developed NAPs such DRC, Rwanda,
Sierra Leone and Liberia
• International Cooperation on Action Plans
Resolution 1888,1889,1820,1960, 2106
• These are supporting resolutions on women’s peace and
security and reaffirm the need for prevention of sexual
violence and prosecution of offenders of sexual violence
• SCR1820 of 2008 addressees issues of sexual violence in
situations of conflict and reiterates that;
• Sexual violence when used as a weapon of war impedes
restoration of peace
• Notes that rape and other sexual crimes should be
excluded from amnesty provisions
• Urges regional bodies to develop policies on the
protection of women in armed conflict
RESOLUTION 1888
• Reiterates condemnation of violence against women and
children in armed conflict
• Urges state parties to investigate all reports of sexual
violence committed by civilians or military personnel
• Encourage states to increase access to health and psycho
social support, legal assistance and socio- economic
reintegration of services for victims of violence
• Encourage leaders at national and local level such
traditional and religious leaders to play a role in
sensitizing communities on sexual violence
Resolution 1889
• Urges member states to increase
participation in all stages of conflict, post
conflict planning and Peace building
• Calls on SG to increase number of women
appointed on his behalf such as Special
representatives and Special Envoys
• SG to ensure that all country reports to the
security council provide information on
the impact of armed conflict
Resolution 1960
• Encourages SG to include in his report parties to
armed conflict that are committing rape and
other forms of violence
• Parties to conflict to make time bound
commitments to combat sexual violence
• To include sexual violence to report the report
to Security council sanctions committee for the
adoption of targeted sanctions for perpetrators
Resolution 2106
• Draws attention to the importance of
Transitional justice in armed conflict and post
conflict situations
• Recognises the role of Gender Advisors in
ensuring that gender perspectives are
mainstreamed in policies, planning and
implementation
• Notes the link between sexual violence and HIV
infection and the disproportionate burden of HIV
and AIDS on women and girls.
Protocol to the African charter on the
rights of women in Africa -2003
• Article 2, refers to elimination of discrimination against
women through legislative and institutional measures
• Right to dignity
• Right to life integrity and security of persons
• Elimination of harmful practices e.g. Genital mutilation
• Article 10 speaks to right to peaceful existence and
participation in promoting peace
• Protection of women in armed conflict
• Article12, right to education and training
Maputo protocol cont.
• 36 out of the 54 member states have ratified and in
many countries legal and institutional measures are in
place to protect victims and prosecute offenders
• 18 countries have not ratified including South Sudan,
CAR, Egypt which are facing armed conflict
• Some rights have not been enshrined into law in DRC,
Guinea-Conakry, Mali women victims of sexual violence
are demanding justice
• Most state parties neglect article 26 to submit periodic
reports
SADC Gender protocol
• Article 2 and 3 speaks to the harmonisation of regional
and international frameworks with national laws
• Bringing synergy among instruments to which SADC has
subscribed such as Beijing Declaration, CEDAW, MDGs,
African Protocol and SADC gender protocol
• SADC Protocol has timelines on some of its goals; article
6 on education and training urges state parties to ensure
equal access to education by 2015 and eradicate
illiteracy by 2020
• Article 10 strives to prevent new HIV infections by 2015
GENDER AND POST CONFLICT
• Women usually are at the forefront in
urging an end to conflict
• Women are however invisible at
formal peace settlements
• Post conflict situations present
opportunities for empowerment