WUNRN
PAP - Pan-African Parliament
WPAA - Women's Platform for Action
in Africa
Africa - Women Call for Greater Role in Peacekeeping
By Saaleha Bamjee
Women and
young girls remain disproportionately affected during and after conflict.
MIDRAND, South Africa, Sep 30, 2011 (IPS) - African women
who bear the brunt of the continent’s conflicts now demand to play a defining
role in peacekeeping.
A resolution to foster women’s political participation in
the domain of peacekeeping and conflict management was accepted on Friday at
the 2011 Women’s Platform for Action in Africa (WPAA).
Under the auspices of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the
WPAA meeting emphasised the urgent need for better female representation at
national levels, where women can actively take part in decisions to prevent war
and mediate conflict.
The two-day conference in Midrand from Sep. 29 to Sep. 30
comes ahead of the second session of the Pan-African Parliament in October.
Gender-based sexual violence, which has become a
characteristic of armed conflict, is closely linked to gender relations within
that culture, said Francoise Labelle of
"It is only if women can play a full and equal part in
the mediation processes that we will be able to build a foundation of
peace," Labelle said.
This year marks the 11th year of United Nations’ resolution
1325, which addresses women’s rights in war conflict, peace negotiation and
reconstruction processes.
It also urges increased representation of women at all
decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace processes.
However, there has never been a female U.N. chief peace
negotiator and women constitute less than eight percent of negotiating
delegations in peace processes mediated by the U.N., while less than three
percent are peace agreement signatories.
Women and young girls remain disproportionately affected
during and after conflict.
"It is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier
during conflict," said President of the PAP Women's Caucus Mavis Matladi
of South Africa.
"There is probably not a single African woman who has
not witnessed violence against another woman. It is the truth that men fight
wars and the women are the victims; whether by way of infrastructure breakdown,
being forced to turn to sexual exploitation for survival or the after-effects
of stigmatisation, forced pregnancies and STDS (sexually transmitted
diseases)," she said.
Matladi said that although governments on the continent
have shown commitment to the resolutions, there has been less emphasis on the
roles women can play before, during and after conflict.
"Women usually play these parts informally, but
formally there is little recognition. This exclusion leads to a failure to
address women’s issues," she said.
Marie Louise Baricako, the Chairperson of the Femmes Africa
Solidarité (FAS), an international non- governmental organisation working on
issues of gender, peace and development, said that the problem of rape and
sexual violence being used as a weapon remains a neglected topic.
"It goes unpunished, and unrecognised. The
perpetrators remain free, bringing in a new culture of rape and sexual
violence; the Pan-African Parliament must do something about this," she
said.
The WPAA heard the testimony of a rape survivor who was
targeted during post-election violence in
The post election period of 2007 to 2008 left more than
1,100 people dead, 3,500 injured and up to 600,000 forcibly displaced.
According to the International Criminal Court, during the two months after the
disputed election results, "there were hundreds of rapes, possibly more,
and over 100,000 properties were destroyed in six of
The court is currently prosecuting six people accused of
instigating the post-election violence.
The rape survivor described how she was gang-raped,
violated with metal implements, had acid poured over her and was left for dead
while her house burnt in front of her.
"I was in a bad state, my body was rotting. I couldn’t
wear proper clothes because they would stick to my skin. But God has created me
a new skin.
"I now have the strength to speak out and face women
who’ve been raped and tell them to come out and stand their ground," she
said. She also lauded the efforts of women parliamentarians who are working to
end the atrocities perpetrated against women.
U.N. Women Regional Programme Director Nomcebo Manzini said
the work of the WPAA should move beyond sitting and listening to the
testimonies of those brutalised by conflict. "We should be saying no to
war," she said.
To this end, under the auspices of the Pan-African
Parliament, the resolution to form the Initiative of African Women for Peace
(IAWP) was agreed upon in principle.
This delegation of women representing each of the
continent’s five regions will be tasked with promoting democracy, peace and
security and will also lobby at international institutions such as the U.N.,
African Union and World Bank.
IAWP will also actively seek the support of like-minded
associations, civil society and African women activists.
Premier of the
"Governments have ratified but the implementation is
lacking. It doesn't matter how many seats we occupy, if these women don't speak
for women, we might as well not have them. There are women who can lead these
countries in
Goodwill Ambassador to the World Health Organization, Dr.
Gertrude Mongella of