by E.I
Women are severely affected by violent conflicts. They are often more exposed to physical violence in conflicts then men as they may be victims of sexual violence and trafficking. They also assume the roles of combatants in wars or peace activists as well as household heads during and after the war. In one of the major achievements for women, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325) in October 2000. The resolution recognized the important role that women play in preventing violent conflicts and sustaining peace. Therefore, the resolution called on the participation of women in all efforts to bringing peace and security. Unfortunately, up till present day the marginalization of women in mediation and peace negotiation still persists.
After the Cold War, the ratio of female: male ratio of people dying in violent conflict witnessed a considerable increase. As a result, more women are dying as a direct consequence of war[1]. During wartime, women suffer from many forms of sexual violence whether employed as a strategy of war or violence diffused across units and tolerated by commanders. Rape has been employed as a weapon of war in various conflicts, mostly notable in the wars in Bosnia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is sometimes used in a systematic way with the deliberate targeting of women for the purpose of rape. Some studies show that wartime experience increases individual incentives to engage in sexual violence due to the breakdown of institutions, or because combatants target enemy civilians with violence to revenge for the violence suffered by their community. In some conflicts, sexual violence is symmetric, with all parties to the war engaging in it to almost the same extend.
The employment of sexual violence can also be very asymmetric as one armed group does not respond to sexual violence by the other party. Some armed groups do not in fact engage in rape despite interaction with civilians. They may even engage in ethnic cleansing without engaging in sexual violence. In some conflicts, commanders may prohibit sexual violence for strategic reasons. Many fear the consequences of uncontrolled violence by their combatants. Others depend on civilians for information, thus, attempt to restrain sexual violence against those civilians. In addition, some believe that armed groups that rely on female combatants restrain sexual violence as they fear that sexual violence against civilians may evolve into sexual violence against their group members.
Impact on Economic Empowerment
Women economic participation is another key factor in empowering women that is impacted by conflicts. Due to prevailing discrimination against women access to formal employment, women are less likely to be employed. While women are primary victims of conflicts due to being displaces, subjected to sexual violence and HIV by combatants, in many cases women are active participants assuming roles that they did not play before. This constitutes extra burden on women but it may also represents an opportunity to assume new responsibility. Nevertheless, women face many challenges as in the aftermath of conflicts societies tend to allocate roles in the same traditional ways that prevailed before the conflict. Constraints on women regarding economic development persist. Women who lose their partners during the conflict face difficult economic situation due to their limited access to economic activities, limited right to own land and other property. The responsibility to provide care for dependents and lack of facilities places a burden on women.
Despite being directly affected by violent conflicts, women are hardly involved in the mediation process. The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 acknowledged the importance of women participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and reconstruction. It was based on the fact that peace settlements tend to be more lasting and sustainable when women participate in their formulation. The resolution provided legal and political framework through which women can voice their opinion on matters that are crucial to them when it comes to peace and security issues. Nevertheless, there continues to be disregard to women issues globally. Peace talks continue to exclude women and negotiations focus on amnesty for men who committed crimes against women. Worth to mention that the resolution was passed under Chapter VI of the UN charter whose decisions take the form of recommendations not binding laws and there is no institutional mechanism in the UN to measure its implementation due to lack of funding. Even the UN itself seems reluctant to implement the resolution. In addition, the majority of leaders and representatives within the UN are male.
Hence, after almost 17 years of endorsing the resolution, engagement of women is still lacking and discrimination still persists. Peace agreements that were concluded after the resolution are mediated and negotiated by men, most often failing to reflect issues that are of importance to women. Many men still find it hard to picture women playing certain roles, thus preferring to place men over women in leadership positions. Women who are engaged in the mediation process face the challenge of sexual abuse and personal security. Moreover, violence against women is a common phenomenon worldwide. The Global Movement to End Violence against Women highlighted these forms of violence to include rape in custody, marital rape, sexual harassment, trafficking and prostitution, labeling and harassing women and domestic violence. Many efforts were made by women to challenge and end violence by men, yet many efforts witness set back.
Contemporary conflicts remain to be characterized by new tactics of war including sexual violence, abduction for sexual slavery and for fighting, forced displacement and deliberate targeting of civilians. Women are not only victims of these conflicts but also peace activists. Despite the major role played by women in war and peace, women are not included in official peace mediation. The UN recognized that the marginalization of gender issues in conflict resolution could lead to social inequalities that fuel the eruption of conflicts. Members of the Security Council asserted the positive role played by women in preventing conflicts and peacebuilding. They acknowledged the full participation of women in making decisions about conflict prevention and resolution. Yet, many challenges still prevail.
Given the current conditions and challenges that women face in situations of conflicts and wars, a lot remains to be done. Governments should provide more gender-based training to military and police forces before they are deployed. They should also increase the participation of women in peacekeeping missions as a means to gender national security institutions. According to UN figures[2], women constituted 1% of deployed uniform personnel in 1993. After around 20 years, women constituted 3% of military personnel and 10% of police personnel in UN Peacekeeping missions. In addition to women deployment, protection must be provided to women and girls under the threat of physical violence. The role of women in post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction efforts should be enhanced. Priority should be given to promoting women socioeconomic development in the post-war era, especially women who are household heads and support economic projects that support women participation. Finally, women should be guaranteed participation in mediation and peace negotiations, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.
[1] I intend to write a separate article on the condition of women in the ongoing wars in the Middle East since 2011, to explain their roles in the current conflict and how the implementation of resolution 1325 has not been in place yet
[2] http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/issues/women/womeninpk.shtml