WUNRN
2011 Theme Announcement
From Peace in the Home to Peace in
the World: Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!
To explore some of the deeper social structures that promote and
perpetuate violence against women and girls, last year the Center for Women’s
Global Leadership (CWGL) launched a multi-year campaign theme on the
intersections of militarism and violence against women. While there are many
different ways to define militarism, our working definition outlines militarism
as an ideology that creates a culture of fear and supports the use of violence,
aggression, or military interventions for settling disputes and enforcing
economic and political interests. Militarism also privileges certain violent
forms of masculinity, which often has grave consequences for the true safety
and security of women, of men who do not conform to these roles, and of society
as a whole. Current world events - including military interventions, femicides,
attacks on civilians participating in political change, ongoing conflicts etc.
- exemplify the distinctive way in which militarism influences how we see our
neighbors, our families, our public life, and other people in the world.
Over the last year CWGL has heard accounts of how this theme
resonates with many activists. One activist from
From Peace
in the Home to Peace in the World:
Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!
Building upon the information gathered from participants during
the 2010 campaign, this year’s 16 Days Campaign will delve further into five
issues that were identified as priorities for those working on the
intersections of violence against women and militarism:
1.
Bringing
together women, peace, and human rights movements to challenge militarism: For decades, women’s
movements, human rights movements, and peace movements have advocated for the
use of peaceful strategies to end conflict and violence and to achieve women’s
rights. These movements challenge the social structures that allow violence and
discrimination to continue. While we may have different approaches to bringing about
a more just world, advocacy in all of these areas is inherently tied to
challenging militarism and putting forward a feminist alternative. Civil
society plays a crucial role in pushing for more expansive understandings of
security that emphasize peace and the fulfillment of human rights as a way to
achieve genuine security for all. There are many international tools and
mechanisms that can help us hold our governments accountable for protecting and
respecting rights (e.g. the Beijing Platform for Action, CEDAW, international
humanitarian law, the Human Rights Council, the Security Council’s Resolutions
1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960 on Women, Peace, and Security, and more). These
approaches and tools provide entry points for social movements to reframe security
as a human rights issue instead of a military issue.
2.
Proliferation
of small arms and their role in domestic violence: Domestic violence is
a reality in every country of the world. This violence becomes even more
dangerous when guns are present in the home, as they can be used to threaten,
injure, or kill women and children. According to the International Action
Network on Small Arms (IANSA) Women’s Network, women are three times more
likely to die violently if there is a gun in the house. Small arms are also one
of the major causes of civilian casualties in modern conflicts. Not only do
small arms facilitate violence against women, but due to their association with
violent masculinity, they often perpetuate violence itself. Regardless of the
context - conflict or peace - or immediate cause of the violence, the presence
of guns invariably has the same effect: more guns mean more danger for women.
Consequently, this year we will also look at the sale, trade, proliferation,
and misuse of small arms.
3.
Sexual
violence in and after conflict: Rape is often used as a tactic of war to drive fear and to
humiliate or punish women and their communities. Sexual violence in conflict
and post-conflict situations is used to reinforce gendered and political
hierarchies. While there has been more attention to this crime in recent years,
sexual violence remains a major barrier to women’s safety and reintegration, as
its effects are physically, psychologically, and socially devastating.
4.
Political
violence against women, including Pre/During/Post-election violence: The use of violence to
achieve political goals has specific gendered implications. From electoral
violence that targets women with sexual violence to harassment or “sexuality
baiting” of female protesters and political candidates, open misogyny in public
and political spaces results in violations of women’s human rights. Even when
women play crucial roles in peaceful revolutions, they may be excluded from
political roles in the new government. Governments that use force against their
own civilians, suspend rule of law in an “emergency” period or use
“anti-terrorism” laws to suppress pro-democracy movements or to silence human
rights defenders also employ militaristic ideologies that attempt to pass off
violence as “security” measures.
5.
Sexual
and gender-based violence committed by state agents, particularly the police or
military: Even in places where there is no recognized conflict,
militarized violence against civilians by uniformed personnel takes place.
Militarism tends to privilege a particular form of aggressive masculinity, and
sexual violence is one tool that might be used to assert power over others.
Individuals in positions of authority may believe they can commit crimes with
impunity, and this is exemplified by high rates of sexual violence within the
military, threats by police to women reporting cases of violence or assault,
violations committed by peace-keeping forces, and violence against women living
and working around military bases.
Over the next several years, CWGL will work to support the
development of a coordinated, global, feminist critique of militarism and the
violence it perpetuates. The 2011 campaign is an opportunity for reflection and
conversations about what the global women’s rights movement can do to challenge
the structures that allow violence against women to continue at all levels,
from local to global. It is also a crucial time to reach out to and involve
more men, boys, faith-based and traditional leaders, and other key partners in
this work towards building a more just and peaceful world. While militarism is
often discussed in terms of conflict situations, this campaign theme seeks to
broaden our understanding of the many ways militarism influences our daily
lives. A crucial aspect of the 16 Days Campaign involves listening to the
stories of women around the world and standing in solidarity with one another,
but it also emphasizes the importance of working locally to transform violent
or militaristic mindsets. By focusing on how “peace in the home” extends
outward and relates to “peace in the world,” we see how values of nonviolence
can influence the attitudes of friends, families, communities, governments and
other actors.
As always, CWGL encourages activists to utilize the 16 Days
Campaign to focus on the issues that are most relevant to their local context.
At the same time, we also hope you will find ways to connect with the
international theme and work in solidarity with other activists around the
world. In the coming months, CWGL will be producing additional campaign
materials and fact sheets to further explore the five issues mentioned above.
We look forward to working with you to develop the 2011 campaign!
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an
international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership
Institute sponsored by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) at
Rutgers University in 1991. Participants chose the dates November 25,
International Day Against Violence Against Women, and December 10,
International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against
women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a human rights
violation.