Opinion: Women, War and Peace

By Dr Vanishree Joseph, Dr N V Madhuri The number of people forcibly displaced as a result of conflict, humanitarian crises, persecution, violence and human rights violations touched 82.4 million by the end of 2020, according to UN Security Council data. This is the highest number on record and more than double the level of […]

By Dr Vanishree Joseph, Dr N V Madhuri

The number of people forcibly displaced as a result of conflict, humanitarian crises, persecution, violence and human rights violations touched 82.4 million by the end of 2020, according to UN Security Council data. This is the highest number on record and more than double the level of a decade ago.

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Conflicts have resulted in food insecurity for 100 million people, up from 77 million just a year ago. In the context of Covid, the data also shows that countries which spend more on military have spent less on pandemic-related measures, particularly while supporting the needs of women and girls. Military spending has outpaced pandemic-related spending on health. A recent study assessing data from 153 nations from 1990 to 2019 states that there is a strong association between militarisation and gender inequality.

Disproportionate Impact

At the time of any conflict, the experiences women face are quite different from men. Availability of resources, exercising political rights, control over environment and needs of men and women are different during war within and between countries. Causes of war may be attributed to militarism, imperialism, nationalism etc but its impacts are alike in the lives of women.

The torture and abuse inflicted on men and women are disproportionate in a war. Even when more men are killed, women experience violence, sexual abuse, forced pregnancy, abduction and slavery. Being a caretaker, women’s mobility is also restricted and their ability to protect themselves is in jeopardy. The harm and shame they experience go in silence and it is pervasive in all wars. The issues faced by them are systematically neglected.

Humanitarian Assistance

The determinants of humanitarian assistance to women are greatly influenced by their age, marital status, family, ethnicity, nationality, geopolitical relevance, etc.

Most of the time humanitarian aid neglects women or goes blind to their needs. There is little social protection measures targeting children, family and maternity once the war and conflict get over.

War-torn and conflict-prone countries often try to escalate the budget for their military expenditure rather than spending on social protection programmes. Extending basic water facility, sanitation, and hygiene to unserved communities, delivering high-quality universal primary and early secondary education for all, and eliminating severe poverty and hunger are expected to cost only 2%, 6%, and 13% of global military spending, respectively. But, these are not paid heed to.

Besides, women’s voices are never heard in conflict management and peace-building processes. There are reasons why women should be a part of these processes. Comprising half of the population, their perception and opinion should be taken into account. Moreover, the caretaker responsibility of women may motivate them to become an advocate for peace and enhance their role as mediators. Conflicts force women to organise themselves in order to protect basic needs and carry out activities such as education and healthcare. These activities are important for achieving long-term peace, and governments must guarantee that women are represented at all stages of critical peace negotiations.

As per the data from the UNDP and the University of Pittsburgh,women’s representation in public administration in fragile and conflict-affected countries averages just 23%, less than half of the average in all other countries. Only 5.2% of armed forces in peace-keeping missions were women as of 31 December 2020, falling short of the United Nation’s 6.5% target for 2020.

Military Spending

The target of the women’s peace movement, which has been in existence in different forms across the world since the 19th Century, aims at curbing military spending. Commitments to cut military spending and regulate armament availability were included in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, and were repeated at the 2021 Generation Equality Forum.

According to research, peace accords that address women, girls or gender frequently will reach the comprehensive agreement stage. Between 2018 and 2020, none of the ceasefire agreements included gender provisions or the prohibition of sexual violence. There is a high-level commitment from UN agencies and countries to end conflict and build peace with women’s participation at all levels. But, institutional barriers and politics undermine its implementation.

To make the peace-building process more effective, capability of women should be enhanced in planning and implementation of post-conflictsettlement and peace-building initiatives. Supporting women’s peace-building movements by providing adequate financial and technical assistance is also necessary. To ensure the safety of refugees and displaced women, the focus should be on their health, rehabilitation and training requirements. Ending impunity and ensuring that the perpetrators of violence are brought under the purview of the judiciary is mandatory.

In post-conflict contexts, establishing systems for enforcing and monitoring international assistance for the protection of women’s rights may yield a fruitful result. Acknowledging women’s potential in the peace-building process and providing an enabling environment for women in conflict-prone and war-torn countries will bring peace and prosperity.

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