What does peace mean to you?
20 September 2016
By Hannah Coombes
By Hannah Coombes
“Not one more death, not one more woman, at the hands of machisto violence”
When I asked Sayda from Womankind partner DEMUS (Institute for the Defence of Women’s Rights) in Peru what peace meant to her, this is what she said:
“For me peace means that society will find justice and reparation for the women who survived male violence during and after the armed internal conflict”.
For Sayda, and many women in Peru, the effects of the 20-year conflict are so great that they can not find peace until they are addressed. Thousands of women were raped and Peru continues to have some of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world. A machisto culture and a real lack of legal justice for survivors of all kinds of violence means women’s daily lives are far from peaceful.
Women in Nepal have also experienced huge levels of violence, both during the civil war and to this day, and sadly this has heightened since the 2015 earthquake..
“Peace for women means shelter, food and education for children. Above all, women need security in the home; they need to sleep well in their beds, knowing they are safe from violence. Violence can come from husbands, from neighbours, or from family members. Domestic violence is a particular problem.“
– Bandana Rana, Executive Chair, Saathi
For many of our partners, peace is as simple as being safe in your own home. In many countries around the world, conflict has eroded peace, especially for women. Not only are women excluded from decision-making and conflict resolution processes, but they are also subject to horrific violence during conflict, such as rape and sexual assault, and are also more likely to be forced into poverty. For example, during Sierra Leone’s 11 year civil war, an estimated quarter of a million were raped.
“Peace means different things to women and men because of their unique experiences as a result of the war, and as a result of how society is structured. Peace to women means putting food on the table, economic empowerment, access to healthcare and education, and that we can speak up against abuse in the home. There is violence in the home, but too often women are silent, that is not peace.“
– Estella Nelson, Founder and President of LIWOMAC (Liberia Women Media Action Committee)
Peace can also mean the freedom to live how one pleases, free from harassment and fear. Being a women’s human rights activist can mean constantly living in fear. Last year Francela Méndez was killed in El Salvador for speaking out for LGBTQI rights, peace activist Intisar al-Hasairi was killed in Libya and Joan Kagezi, a lawyer and prosecutor, was murdered in Uganda. And there are countless more.
“Peace for me is if I can come out of the house not accompanied by anyone. If people do not care what I’m wearing, what I look like. If I can visit a village where I am working and feel safe. If my mother doesn’t call me four times a day when I am out for a meeting to check to see if I have returned to the office safely.“
– Women’s rights activist, Afghanistan
For Dalit women, peace to live free from discrimination is a daily battle. Only 11.8% of Dalit girls are enrolled in secondary school and around 49% of Dalit women encounter violence (although only 4.4% of cases are reported). Without addressing intersectional discrimination, how can Dalit women really have peace?
FEDO activists create a peace wall for International Women’s Day
“For Dalit women to have meaningful peace, they need to live in freedom from discrimination, intimidation and violence. Without the involvement of marginalized and excluded women in peace processes, there will not be sustainable peace in society.“
– Durga Sob, President of FEDO (Feminist Dalit Organisation)
We also mustn’t forget the daily harassment and discrimination that women in the UK face. We are constantly bombarded with hateful messaging from adverts, we are catcalled on the street and we still face huge levels of domestic violence and sexual assault. When one in three women will be abused in a relationship and one in four sexually assaulted, can we really say that we live in a peaceful society?
“From Nepal to Liberia, from Pakistan to Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, a common thread of peace pulls women together, and compels them to act at a local level for a just and equal future.”
– Bandana Rana, Saathi, Nepal
The truth is that until women’s needs are considered and until we are included in peacebuilding – from the very local to the global – no one will live in peace. If you exclude half of the world’s population – and violence against women continues to be used as a weapon of war – everyone loses out. And that’s where women’s rights organisations and movements come in. By supporting them to voice women’s concerns and give women the confidence to speak out, we have a much better chance of peace.
“Supporting the work of women’s organisations, which are at the frontline of building peace, is a crucial part of a future where peace can prosper, not for just half the population, but for everyone.”
– Bandana Rana, Saathi, Nepal
Around the world peace can mean different things to different people. But what unites us is that we should all aim for a peace that includes men and women, different sexualities and genders, people of all races and ethnicities, the young and the older.
Take a look at our work on women and peace and tweet or let us know on Facebook what peace means to you.
