#WeAreHere: Recognising Women’s’ Role In The Peace Process

 

The United Nations (UN) has unveiled a new campaign called #WeAreHere. #WeAreHere is a series of five films commissioned by UN Women which highlight the role of women in peace-building and conflict resolution in the Middle East. These films focus on the efforts of women in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Libya and Palestine who have been participating in peace-building and conflict resolution efforts. UN Women have called these films a statement of defiance and a message of future commitment towards ending the conflicts that have been occurring in each of these countries.

The women featured in these films each describe their situations. Many of the Palestinian women describe the burden of living under Israeli occupation and in a male dominated society, where they are not treated equally. Similar stories are described by the women from Iraq and Syria, who explain the discrimination that Kurdish women face, due to both their gender and ethnic identity. Furthermore, they describe how girls are educated to effectively be slaves and that women are deprived of education, freedom and face extensive violence. Furthermore, Majdoline Hassan of the Syrian Women’s Initiative for Peace and Democracy describes how, among the Syrian refugees and displaced people, women have become the ‘breadwinners’ of their families in order to support them. Women in Yemen and Libya also made the same point regarding the discrimination and violence that they were facing in their countries.

The stories that the women in these films have describe similar situations of discrimination and violence. In conflict situations, women have their own unique experiences. They are often the first targets of violent extremists and face atrocities such as abuse, discrimination and violent crimes. Their experiences in conflicts are often exasperated by existing gender inequalities which leave them vulnerable to discrimination and exploitation. Peace agreements often do not include provisions specific to women and their experience in conflicts. Of the nine peace agreements signed in 2011, only two have specific provisions for women. Furthermore, less than 3% of signatories to peace agreements are women’s and less than 10% of negotiators are women.

In the peace-building and conflict resolution process, women are often not included in an official role, particularly in peace negotiations. Without appropriate representation, women are unable to make positive change towards addressing the gender inequality that they experience every day. Studies have shown that women have a highly influential role for reconciliation because when women are not involved in political processes and peace talks, these agreements have a 25% to 50% chance of failing. This indicates that these agreements are more likely to succeed when women are also included in the process. Tanya Gilly-Khailany, vice president of Iraq’s Seed Foundation said that “peace does not grow without women” and adding that “women are the ones who push the most for peaceful resolutions as they are the ones with the greatest interest in achieving it.”

Women’s contributions to the peace-building and conflict resolution processes need to be recognised. They bring a new perspective to the table and enable a more positive and sustainable peace to be formed. UN women hope that #WeAreHere will inspire more women to share their stories so that the successes and positive actions of these women are able to be conveyed to the world in a time where the images of these conflicts are inherently negative. Sharing these stories will show the world that there is still hope for peaceful solutions to these conflicts.

Lillian Wetherspoon

Related