Gender And Peace

Gender And Peace

Context:

  • Amidst the conflict going on between Ukraine and Russia, it is important to analyze the effects of the war and its impact on the society, in this context it is important to discuss Peace with respect to Gender.

Pretext:

  • Researchers have shown that violent conflicts have affected different groups such as women, children, sexual minorities, men differently and also the approaches to peace building too.
  • Hence building inclusive sustainable peace initiatives becomes pertinent in addressing gender power dynamics and gender roles and expectations.
  • Women and men have differential experiences both during and post-conflict, and that women have a unique set of challenges related to peace building and security.

About Peace Building:

  • Peace building is fundamentally about dealing with the reasons why people fight in the first place, while also supporting societies to manage their differences and conflicts without resorting to violence
  • Peace building is fundamentally about dealing with the reasons why people fight in the first place, while also supporting societies to manage their differences and conflicts without resorting to violence.

Peace with respect to Gender:

  • Peace as the absence of every type of structural violence – is a long-time goal that takes time to achieve in conflict and post conflict settings. Structural violence refers to a form of violence where social structures or institutions may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. It also includes institutionalized forms of violence such as casteism, racism and sexism
  • Peace and security for all – for gender responsive peace, there must be gender justice and there cannot be peace without justice.
  • Peace premised on the universal integration of gender perspectives as well as the equal participation at all levels and in all peace, building processes – equal participation would entail addressing power relations within household, communities and instiutions. All these different forms of inequalities exist in situations of conflict and post conflict settings.

UNSCR 1325 RESOLUTION

  • In the year 2000, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) which formally acknowledged, for the first time the role of women in peace building and mandated a meaningful inclusion of women in decision making on Peace and Security.
  • The resolution acknowledged the impact of armed conflict on women and children.