We’ve often heard Hobbes say: “Man is a wolf to man”, meaning that threat and war are at the heart of our humanity. But what about women? Is war only a “man’s business”? Are they only destined to be victims of war, without having their names inscribed on monuments? How are women’s rights and lasting peace linked? We’re talking about it!
Is war a man’s business?
Crusades, conquests, the Cold War, the conflict in Ukraine or the Middle East… The list of wars past and present is long, and historical analysis through the prism of gender reveals that these conflicts have almost always been led by men, from their initiation to their resolution, including their memory.
This can be explained first and foremost by a history of male monopoly of power in the political, economic and religious spheres, at the heart of the motives for waging war.
We also need to question the “myths of virility” with Olivia Gazalé: while women “lose” blood in intimacy, men “shed” their blood for the fatherland, says the philosopher, among other examples of the double standard that positions men as active combatants and women in passive positions.
Yet women were part of the war. Historians have highlighted the important roles they have played in combat, in army logistics, at the front, at home, at the peace negotiating table and everywhere in between. Yet women’s roles as combatants, peace activists and, above all, as the first victims of war, can be rendered invisible by the mentrification effect.
Women, victims of war
Women are massively represented among the victims of war. This is primarily due to the fact that crises and armed conflicts affect around 90% of the civilian population, and the majority of these victims are women or children.
But in addition to their status as civilians who may be affected by the fighting without going to the front, women are also victims of specific forms of war violence. Their bodies are used as “envelopes ” to send a message to the enemy. In wartime, women are victims of violence, forced pregnancy, abduction, sexual abuse and slavery. Rape has been a weapon of war throughout the world and in all eras: “planned by an authority (political, military, governmental, clan, etc.) rape is used strategically to humiliate, weaken, subjugate, drive out or destroy the other”.
This gender-based violence, already alarming, is accompanied by a system of silencing and invisibilization of the crimes committed, as well as of women’s voices and journeys. As the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross points out, ” what is most appalling is the high number of violations of their rights that are neither documented nor recognized, often perceived as inevitable side-effects of war. ” As a result, these women receive virtually no help.
Towards UN resolution 1325
Although often left out of official peace negotiations, women have always played an essential role in promoting peace in their communities. However, their visibility is crucial in the fight against the violence to which they are subjected. This is why they have mobilized collectively in several countries to demand this recognition.
In 1915, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom was founded, followed by a long process of mobilization on the part of international civil society (ranging from NGOs to militant women’s groups), to make its voice heard by the international community. Their battle is two-fold: to include women in the decision-making processes for peace, and to adapt measures to combat gender-based violence. Indeed, it is vital for women to be present during peace processes, to give voice to their different experiences. The results of these mobilizations took effect in the years 1990-2000. Following on from the 1995 Beijing Conference, which produced the most important international text on women’s rights, Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS ) was adopted by the United Nations Security Council in 2000.
This resolution rests on 4 pillars:
- protecting women,
- prevention of gender-based violence,
- women’s participation in peace negotiations
- the need for humanitarian support during wars.
This Resolution is seen as a major step forward and is followed by many others that form the UN’s “women, peace and security” agenda, such as the one recognizing sexual violence as a tactic of war and a threat to security and stability.
What role do women really play in peace processes?
According to studies carried out between 1995 and 2019, women make up just 13% of negotiators, 6% of mediators and signatories in major peace processes. In all, 7 out of 10 peace processes have no female mediators or signatories.
According to several UN reports, the Resolution and its system have several limitations. Firstly, the figures cited above show that the exclusion of women from participation in peace processes is still a reality. In 2023, among the most recent peace processes, the Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women even noted a total absence of women in Ethiopia, Sudan, Kosovo, Libya and Myanmar.
Secondly, 24 years after the adoption of the Resolution, it appears that the results and concrete effects of women’s participation in peace processes are still insufficient. Indeed, the inclusion of women is often thought of through an approach centered on technical training, while strategic and transformative empowerment, as well as the development of women’s skills, are lacking. This hinders the strengthening of their capacity to influence and participate meaningfully.
Another major obstacle, analyzed by the General Manager ofInclusive PeaceThania Paffenholz, lies in the fact that the inclusion of women is often a separate issue, not integrated into the main decision-making processes. For example, the Women’s Advisory Board (WAB) was set up in 2017 to participate in UN peace efforts in Syria. However, it is not seen as a parallel process to explore the possibilities for peace and is not led and guided solely by Syrian women. According to Paffenholz, it “has proven to be a mere ‘add-on’ to an otherwise failing system.”.
Finally, these limitations can be summed up by the insufficiently binding nature of the Resolution. Adopted within the framework of Chapter 6 of the United Nations, the Resolution is declaratory in nature, imposing few obligations on States. Procedures and mechanisms for investigating, reporting and prosecuting violence against women are therefore not mandatory. According to Camille Boutron, a doctor in the sociology of gender and conflict, this situation leads to a lack of recognition of these crimes and prevents them from being adequately punished.
What are the levers for accelerating women’s participation in peace?
According to the UN Secretary-General at the opening of the twenty-third anniversary of resolution 1325, a 15% contribution by official development assistance (ODA) donor countries to the gender equality sector is necessary for real impact in reducing gender inequalities at international level.
For their part, studies on “gender and peace” assert that progress in terms of gender equality can only be achieved through a systemic fight against discrimination, at all levels and scales of public policy, in order to reach mentalities. States must therefore implement gender mainstreaming approaches, especially in times of peace, to encourage the formation of a more egalitarian system and ensure its robustness in the event of crisis.
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