WUNRN
Guardian
- International Women's Day: Voices from Around the World
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WOMEN, PEACE, EQUALITY - REFLECTIONS IN WOMEN'S LIVES
Women Connecting for
Peace Global
Network of Women Peacebuilders Newsletter |
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To commemorate the 100th international
Women's Day, this issue of the GNWP newsletter, Connecting for Peace, features stories
from GNWP members around the globe. The women reflect on changes that have
taken place during their lifetimes to further women's empowerment and
equality. |
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Reflections: 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day In
celebration of the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day, GNWP
members from the Global South were asked to contribute to an article featured
on the Guardian news paper website, on how life for women has changed in
their respective countries during the course of their lifetimes. We are
delighted to announce that four GNWP members' reflections were chosen to
appear on the Guardian website. · Aimee
Matungulu (Women Peacemaker Program, the Democratic Republic of
Congo) · Bandana Rana
(Saathi, Nepal) · Jasmin Galace
(Center for Peace Education, Philippines) · Jeanne Bitsure
(Women Peacemaker Program, Burundi) Martha Quintero - Red Nacional
de Mujeres Colombia As
a young girl I wanted to wear pants, yet this was a problem not because my
parents were strict, but because Colombian society ruled that women should
wear dresses. This may seem like a very small issue, but it shows a huge
change that has taken place in my country. Now it would seem ridiculous for
girls to only wear dresses as these gender stereotypes are not as pronounced
as they once were and as a nation we do not feel that society imposes these
distinct, yet superficial differences. I am pleased to say I have not worn
dresses for the last 30 years. As
a woman in Colombia today, I feel I have more choices. I decided not to have
children and I feel very free to make this decision and not be judged by it.
I am a very gregarious, warm person and I am pleased that people do not
assume that because I do not want children, I have an inability to connect,
or to be warm. This gregarious nature and interest in people has led me to be
involved in women’s groups and I am now involved in Red Nacional de Mujeres,
a grass roots organization (a coalition of NGOs and individuals working for
women’s full political participation in a more just society). In Colombia the
issue of sexual violence is still very real and many years of armed conflict
have lead to sexual violence being used as a weapon of war. In some way this
has been accepted as ‘normal’ in Colombia and we still have a long way to go
to get this issue recognized and to put a stop to it. One
thing that has been a major change for women in Colombia and probably all
over the world is that women are now breadwinners. The truth is that women
have always been breadwinners, contributing through farming, or factory work,
or even as mothers, but it is only now that women’s contributions are being
recognized and they are beginning to have the chance to contribute in other
professions, outside of menial work. I am very pleased about this recognition
and for the choices women now have. Mavic Cabrera-Balleza Global Network
of Women Peacebuilders Philippines I
have always referred to myself as an organic feminist as I did not grow up
with the western women's movement but developed my beliefs from witnessing
inequality first hand. As the oldest girl, I was responsible for all the
chores in our home while my brothers had all the privileges. This situation
compelled me to face these injustices and question the inequality that exists
in my country and in the rest of the world. I see the biggest changes to have
taken place in the Philippines as being represented by words - sexual
violence, domestic abuse, marital rape - these are all problems that women
endured for centuries and yet these terms did not exist when I was a girl.
These are not just terms, but they represent courage. They embody the power
that is needed to take these problems and come up with a solution. I am proud
to say that these issues went from being unspoken and accepted to having laws
created against them. With
more current work as International Coordinator of the Global Network of Women
Peacebuilders, I am able to bring together women from around the world with
similar stories, to work on lifting our voices in matters of women and peace
and security. Many of the changes I have seen for women in the Philippines
are reflected in other countries across the world, where women have found
their voices and are now battling for equality. I see that in my lifetime
many changes have taken place and I am pleased that we are in a time where we
can really make a difference in the lives of women, not just in the
Philippines, but around the world. Rose Mutombo Cadre
Permanent de Concertation de la Femme Congolese DRC
I
was born into a household of all girls, the youngest of five daughters. The
fact that my mother had not given birth to a boy was regarded as a big
problem for my father. In DRC girls were seen as burdens and could not
contribute to a household economically. Essentially my mother had given birth
to five children who did not matter and would amount to nothing. For this
reason, my mother was banished from our home and did not return until a year
later. Upon her return my mother gave birth to another five children, this
time they were all boys. It is because of the struggle that my mother faced
that we girls strived for success. We have all gone on to university and are
considered accomplished in our society, contributing financially and being able
to support ourselves. Ironically our brothers have not been as successful as
us girls, perhaps this is because they did not have anything to prove. My
father is now very proud of me and often boasts of my success and the success
of my sisters. I became a lawyer to serve my mother who suffered. I
feel that women still have a long way to go to be treated as equals in DRC
and therefore I am pleased that I have studied law so that I am able to
protect women who remain vulnerable in my country and are often undermined or
disregarded by society. In a post conflict country it is often the women who
deal with the aftermath of the conflict, as issues of sexual violence become
lingering norms and women remain underrepresented in decision-making role.
This is where we really need women to help make a difference to stabilizing
the rights of women. Sharon Bhagwan Rolls FemLINK
Pacific Fiji
As
a member of a women’s NGO movement, I see that the opportunity for women’s
equality has taken a step backwards, due to continued conflict and
specifically the military led take over in 2006. We recognize that democracy
is a precondition for the attainment of women’s rights and fear the further
curtailment of civil and political rights, including media censorship and
controls on public meeting, for having detrimental effects on the women’s
rights movement. In
my lifetime, I see that women continue to be burdened by the lack of access
to financial resources, burdened by the time spent in undertaking unpaid
work. Invisible are the mothers baking pies, making food parcels, creating
floral arrangements and other income generating ideas. These, and women like
them, remain invisible in the eyes of policy makers because, only 31% of
Fiji’s female population are regarded as “Economically Active”. Females
comprise a large 51% of Family Workers and 77% of Community Workers, two
groups who receive low income, and are very much under-employed. femLINKPACIFIC,
an organization which emerged from the 2000 crisis, remains guided by a focus
on Women, Peace and Security (via UNSCR 1325) we have continued to advocate
for full compliance of the resolution in all decisions to peace and security
– through vigils, community radio broadcasts and other local and external
media initiatives, as well as policy interventions, while continuing to pursue
dialogue within the women’s movement as well as those with political power.
It is true that whilst in this climate our rights are being challenged, the
women of Fiji remain resilient. For
the plight of women to change again in my lifetime I would allude to an essay
from Virginia Wolfe’s “A Room of One’s Own”; there is a need to ensure that
the necessary resources are mobilized so that women have the opportunity to
write their stories, have their voices heard, and their identities
represented. Media content must continue to reach women in their communities,
it must provide in-depth, substantive information that supports and empowers
the work of women. |
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Featured
Member: Center for Peace Education |
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By Jasmin Galace and Alex
Stiles Center for
Peace Education was created with the mission to help advance a
culture of peace through education. First established in 1997 at the Philippines’
Miriam College, the study of peace had already been integrated into several
of the college’s subjects since the early 1980’s, but was fully recognized
with the arrival of the Center for Peace Education Studies. The Center
enabled a more systematic training of faculty and students on peace education
and peace-related issues, such as nonviolence, women and security,
international humanitarian law, arms control and interfaith education. The
Center is also engaged in peace advocacy work, lobbying, and works on issues
such as arms control, women’s greater participation in peacebuilding
processes, and observance of international humanitarian law. The
Center maintains clear objectives through its teaching of peace: · To institutionalize and
strengthen the peace education thrust of Miriam College through faculty
training, curriculum development and student development programs. · To help promote the
culture of peace in the larger society by sharing Miriam College’s inspiration,
knowledge and experience with other groups and educational institutions,
including those that are underserved. · To network, develop
partnerships and work with other peace-oriented groups and with all people of
goodwill towards building a culture of peace. With
these objectives at the heart of its mission, the Center for Peace Education
Studies has made some significant achievements in helping the lives of women
in the Philippines such as training women on peaceful conflict resolution
methods such as mediation; training on nonviolence and advocacy; and helping
lead the adoption of EO570 integrating peace education in basic education.
The Center's work includes the running of a twinning project with a Muslim
school in Mindanao, with the aim to challenge biases and build understanding
and solidarity between two groups differing in ethnicity and culture. As
board member of Sulong (Go) CARHRIHL and the Philippine Action Network to
Control Arms, the Center's role reaches outside of Miriam college. The
Center for Peace Education Studies also worked on the adoption of the
Philippine National Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and 1820
and is now focusing on capacitating local government to legislate and
implement pertinent provisions from the NAP, advocating greatly the
participation of women in decision-making and peace building processes
through the conducting of workshops with civil society groups and the
security sector. Transforming
minds and hearts is the Center for Peace Education Studies main mission, with
the end goal to encourage people to challenge the personal and social
structures that contribute to violence. A study conducted by the Center for
Peace Education Studies shows that 95% of trained participants change toward
a more peace-oriented attitude and maintain their peace-oriented attitude
after training, an excellent reflection of the success of peace education. Despite
limitations of funding and human resource, the Center continues to play a
pivotal role in the pursuit of peace - networking locally, regionally and
internationally to achieve its goals. Its work on the Philippines NAP is
excellent example of its influence and effectiveness and shows the impact it
has achieved throughout the Philippines. |
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