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Addressing Chronic Violence from a Gendered Perspective: Fostering People-Centered Approaches at the National Level
Elena B. Stavrevska, Nattecia Nerene Bohardsingh, María Dolores Hernández Montoya, Tania Cecilia Martínez, Briana Mawby, and Aliza Carns
Violence has traditionally been viewed through the lens of armed conflict or specific, concrete violent incidents. However, it is necessary to understand that violence may be a chronic phenomenon— a persistent, deeply ingrained aggression affecting daily lives.
The report makes the case for reconceptualizing violence in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and gender equality fields, building upon feminist conceptions of the continuum of violence to recognize that societal structures, systemic discrimination and even pervasive cultural norms can be sources of violence. This comprehensive view has significant implications for policy, demanding multisectoral strategies that address not just symptoms but the root causes. This report illuminates the pervasive issue of chronic violence, especially its gendered dimensions, and advocates for comprehensive approaches to understanding and addressing it. -
Addressing Chronic Violence from a Gendered Perspective: Fostering People-Centered Approaches at the National Level (Case Study: Jamaica)
Elena B. Stavrevska, Nattecia Nerene Bohardsingh, María Dolores Hernández Montoya, Tania Cecilia Martínez, Briana Mawby, and Aliza Carns
Violence has traditionally been viewed through the lens of armed conflict or specific, concrete violent incidents. However, it is necessary to understand that violence may be a chronic phenomenon— a persistent, deeply ingrained aggression affecting daily lives.
The report makes the case for reconceptualizing violence in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and gender equality fields, building upon feminist conceptions of the continuum of violence to recognize that societal structures, systemic discrimination and even pervasive cultural norms can be sources of violence. This comprehensive view has significant implications for policy, demanding multisectoral strategies that address not just symptoms but the root causes. This report illuminates the pervasive issue of chronic violence, especially its gendered dimensions, and advocates for comprehensive approaches to understanding and addressing it. -
Addressing Chronic Violence from a Gendered Perspective: Fostering People-Centered Approaches at the National Level (Case Study: Mexico)
Elena B. Stavrevska, Nattecia Nerene Bohardsingh, María Dolores Hernández Montoya, Tania Cecilia Martínez, Briana Mawby, and Aliza Carns
Violence has traditionally been viewed through the lens of armed conflict or specific, concrete violent incidents. However, it is necessary to understand that violence may be a chronic phenomenon— a persistent, deeply ingrained aggression affecting daily lives.
The report makes the case for reconceptualizing violence in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and gender equality fields, building upon feminist conceptions of the continuum of violence to recognize that societal structures, systemic discrimination and even pervasive cultural norms can be sources of violence. This comprehensive view has significant implications for policy, demanding multisectoral strategies that address not just symptoms but the root causes. This report illuminates the pervasive issue of chronic violence, especially its gendered dimensions, and advocates for comprehensive approaches to understanding and addressing it. -
Análisis de la violencia crónica desde una perspectiva de género (Estudio de caso: Honduras)
Elena B. Stavrevska, Nattecia Nerene Bohardsingh, María Dolores Hernández Montoya, Tania Cecilia Martínez, Briana Mawby, and Aliza Carns
Tradicionalmente, la violencia se ha considerado a través del prisma de los conflictos armados o de incidentes violentos concretos y específicos. Sin embargo, es necesario comprender que la violencia puede ser un fenómeno crónico, una agresión persistente y profundamente arraigada que afecta a la vida cotidiana.
El informe aboga por una reconceptualización de la violencia en los ámbitos de la Mujer, la Paz y la Seguridad (WPS) y la igualdad de género, basándose en las concepciones feministas del continuo de la violencia para reconocer que las estructuras sociales, la discriminación sistémica e incluso las normas culturales dominantes pueden ser fuentes de violencia. Esta visión integral tiene implicaciones significativas para la política, ya que exige estrategias multisectoriales que aborden no solo los síntomas sino las causas profundas. Este informe pone de manifiesto la cuestión de la violencia crónica dominante, especialmente sus dimensiones de género, y aboga por modelos integrales para comprenderla y abordarla. -
Análisis de la violencia crónica desde una perspectiva de género (Estudio de caso: Jamaica)
Elena B. Stavrevska, Nattecia Nerene Bohardsingh, María Dolores Hernández Montoya, Tania Cecilia Martínez, Briana Mawby, and Aliza Carns
Tradicionalmente, la violencia se ha considerado a través del prisma de los conflictos armados o de incidentes violentos concretos y específicos. Sin embargo, es necesario comprender que la violencia puede ser un fenómeno crónico, una agresión persistente y profundamente arraigada que afecta a la vida cotidiana.
El informe aboga por una reconceptualización de la violencia en los ámbitos de la Mujer, la Paz y la Seguridad (WPS) y la igualdad de género, basándose en las concepciones feministas del continuo de la violencia para reconocer que las estructuras sociales, la discriminación sistémica e incluso las normas culturales dominantes pueden ser fuentes de violencia. Esta visión integral tiene implicaciones significativas para la política, ya que exige estrategias multisectoriales que aborden no solo los síntomas sino las causas profundas. Este informe pone de manifiesto la cuestión de la violencia crónica dominante, especialmente sus dimensiones de género, y aboga por modelos integrales para comprenderla y abordarla. -
Análisis de la violencia crónica desde una perspectiva de género (Estudio de caso: México)
Elena B. Stavrevska, Nattecia Nerene Bohardsingh, María Dolores Hernández Montoya, Tania Cecilia Martínez, Briana Mawby, and Aliza Carns
Tradicionalmente, la violencia se ha considerado a través del prisma de los conflictos armados o de incidentes violentos concretos y específicos. Sin embargo, es necesario comprender que la violencia puede ser un fenómeno crónico, una agresión persistente y profundamente arraigada que afecta a la vida cotidiana.
El informe aboga por una reconceptualización de la violencia en los ámbitos de la Mujer, la Paz y la Seguridad (WPS) y la igualdad de género, basándose en las concepciones feministas del continuo de la violencia para reconocer que las estructuras sociales, la discriminación sistémica e incluso las normas culturales dominantes pueden ser fuentes de violencia. Esta visión integral tiene implicaciones significativas para la política, ya que exige estrategias multisectoriales que aborden no solo los síntomas sino las causas profundas. Este informe pone de manifiesto la cuestión de la violencia crónica dominante, especialmente sus dimensiones de género, y aboga por modelos integrales para comprenderla y abordarla. -
Análisis de la violencia crónica desde una perspectiva de género: promover modelos centrados en las personas en el ámbito nacional
Elena B. Stavrevska, Nattecia Nerene Bohardsingh, María Dolores Hernández Montoya, Tania Cecilia Martínez, Briana Mawby, and Aliza Carns
Tradicionalmente, la violencia se ha considerado a través del prisma de los conflictos armados o de incidentes violentos concretos y específicos. Sin embargo, es necesario comprender que la violencia puede ser un fenómeno crónico, una agresión persistente y profundamente arraigada que afecta a la vida cotidiana.
El informe aboga por una reconceptualización de la violencia en los ámbitos de la Mujer, la Paz y la Seguridad (WPS) y la igualdad de género, basándose en las concepciones feministas del continuo de la violencia para reconocer que las estructuras sociales, la discriminación sistémica e incluso las normas culturales dominantes pueden ser fuentes de violencia. Esta visión integral tiene implicaciones significativas para la política, ya que exige estrategias multisectoriales que aborden no solo los síntomas sino las causas profundas. Este informe pone de manifiesto la cuestión de la violencia crónica dominante, especialmente sus dimensiones de género, y aboga por modelos integrales para comprenderla y abordarla. -
Análisis de la violencia crónica desde una perspectiva de género (Resumen ejecutivo)
Elena B. Stavrevska, Nattecia Nerene Bohardsingh, María Dolores Hernández Montoya, Tania Cecilia Martínez, Briana Mawby, and Aliza Carns
Tradicionalmente, la violencia se ha considerado a través del prisma de los conflictos armados o de incidentes violentos concretos y específicos. Sin embargo, es necesario comprender que la violencia puede ser un fenómeno crónico, una agresión persistente y profundamente arraigada que afecta a la vida cotidiana.
El informe aboga por una reconceptualización de la violencia en los ámbitos de la Mujer, la Paz y la Seguridad (WPS) y la igualdad de género, basándose en las concepciones feministas del continuo de la violencia para reconocer que las estructuras sociales, la discriminación sistémica e incluso las normas culturales dominantes pueden ser fuentes de violencia. Esta visión integral tiene implicaciones significativas para la política, ya que exige estrategias multisectoriales que aborden no solo los síntomas sino las causas profundas. Este informe pone de manifiesto la cuestión de la violencia crónica dominante, especialmente sus dimensiones de género, y aboga por modelos integrales para comprenderla y abordarla. -
Intergenerational Peacebuilding Among Women (Case Study: Afghanistan)
Zarqa Yaftali
This case study is part of the Intergenerational Peacebuilding Among Women: Leveraging the Power of Collaboration report created by the Women PeaceMakers program. In this case study, Woman PeaceMaker Fellow Zarqa Yaftali explores the state of intergenerational peacebuilding for women’s rights activists in Afghanistan. This research demonstrates that women of different generations must work together with mutual trust and respect to challenge the dominant narrative that women are not involved in peacebuilding. Leveraging the strengths of the younger generation in Afghanistan and the older generation abroad is vital for successful partnerships.
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Intergenerational Peacebuilding Among Women (Case Study: Eastern Afghanistan)
Heela Yoon
This case study is part of the Intergenerational Peacebuilding Among Women: Leveraging the Power of Collaboration report created by the Women PeaceMakers program. In this case study, Woman PeaceMaker Fellow Heela Yoon explores the state of intergenerational peacebuilding for women in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan. This research demonstrates that there are significant barriers to intergenerational peacebuilding in the Eastern Zone, due to limited funding and capacity in the face of security and social constraints that prevent young women from participating fully.
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Rise Up Industries and the Challenge of Reentry for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
Andrew Blum
Rise Up Industries provides reentry services and support to formerly incarcerated individuals who were previously in gangs through an intensive job training program, offered alongside a holistic set of support services. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Executive Director, Andrew Blum, provides a deeper understanding of this approach and the results it has produced to date, while situating it in the context of other initiatives focused on reentry and reducing recidivism.
This case study concludes that RUI’s reentry program is a promising approach and likely makes a small-scale contribution to solving a very hard problem – successfully fostering the reentry of formerly gang-involved, incarcerated individuals into society.
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Youth Empowerment: Case Study and Learning Strategy
Andrew Blum and Nohelia Ramos
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is invested in preventing violence and reducing recidivism. To achieve these objectives, PSN has committed to supporting lived experience mentoring, often called credible messenger mentoring, through grants made to community organizations in San Diego and Imperial Counties.
This document consists of two separate research products that align with these two objectives. The first is a case study of Youth Empowerment. The case study has several goals: first, to document the work of Youth Empowerment and allow others to learn in a detailed way about lived experience programming; second, to place the lived experience work of Youth Empowerment in the context of other violence prevention and anti-recidivism programming; and, third, to provide an opportunity for Youth Empowerment and its stakeholders to reflect on its approach and ways it can continue to increase its impact in the community.
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Investing in Equity: Creating Equitable Funding for Women Peacebuilders
Jennifer Bradshaw, Ruth Buffalo, Rina Kedem, Mossarat Qadeem, Lilian Riziq, Rebecca Besant, Paulina Chiwangu, Jennifer Hawkins, Nia Jones, Elin Miller, Andrew Blum, Christiana Lang, Necla Tschirgi, and Carolyn Williams
Although women are vital to the success and sustainability of peace efforts, and despite progress made by the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda over the past two decades, women peacebuilders remain severely underfunded — and the funding that is available to them is often unresponsive to their needs and characterized by a power disparity between funder and funded. In order to advance women’s inclusion in peace and justice processes, this report examines what equitable funding partnerships are, why they are essential to peacebuilding, and how they can best be cultivated, providing evidence from the field to support its findings, conclusions and recommendations.
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Peace Incentive Fund 2021-2022
Peace in Our Cities and Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice
Launched in September 2020, Kroc IPJ's Peace Incentive Fund supported cities and local organizations as they worked to advance health while simultaneously reinforcing public safety amidst the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Compilation of Mentoring Programs in San Diego and Imperial Counties
Nohelia Ramos, Caitlyn Lauchner, and Andrew Blum
This document compiles information on mentoring programs in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The goal is to provide a clear picture what mentoring programs are being implemented and to give basic information about those programs as of June 2021.
The purpose of the document is three-fold. First, as a deliverable under the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative (PSN), it is designed to provide basic information to the US Attorney’s Office and others involved in the PSN on the range of mentoring programs that exist. Mentoring programs have proven to be an effective program strategy for producing a range of positive youth development outcomes, including reducing violence and recidivism. Therefore, it is useful for those working on PSN to have an understanding of the number and nature of mentoring programs that exist.
Second, and similarly, the compilation is for others working on issues of youth development, violence prevention and reducing recidivism. The goal is to provide a continually-updated compilation of mentoring programs for those who wish to access these programs, those who wish to support these programs, and those who wish to ensure they are working in a complementary instead of a duplicative way. This includes the organization currently working under the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, many of which are implementing mentoring programs.
Third, the compilation serves as a foundation for our own and for others’ future research efforts regarding youth development, violence prevention, and reducing recidivism in San Diego. Part of our work under the PSN initiative will be a comprehensive report on youth development as a strategy to reduce violence and recidivism in San Diego and Imperial Counties. This will serve as a foundation for this research and for similar research conducted by others working on these issues.
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Tell Them Our Names: The Life of Pauline Dempers of Namibia
Jenna Barnett
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews, and a table of best practices in peacebuilding as demonstrated and reflected on by the peacemaker during her time at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Pauline Dempers is a human rights activist from Namibia and co-founder and national coordinator of Breaking the Wall of Silence (BWS), a grassroots group that advocates for the rights of those affected by imprisonment, torture and enforced disappearances during the Namibian war of independence.
Dempers grew up in the country formerly known as South West Africa when it was ruled by South Africa’s apartheid regime. Encouraged at an early age by her father’s personal resistance to white-minority apartheid rule, she developed a powerful yet painful awareness of the injustices in her community. Dempers became involved with student and community political protests, eventually joining South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), the leading voice of the liberation movement, which would dramatically alter the course of her life.
When the political tension in her country intensified, Dempers fled to Angola in 1983 to receive military training with SWAPO. Along with many hundreds of young SWAPO recruits, she was later arrested by her fellow comrades, tortured and held underground in the “dungeons” of Lubango on suspicion of spying for the South African government. Dempers writes, “I experienced political violence at the hands of my own comrades. I was betrayed in the cause for justice and self-determination.” The personal losses and human rights abuses took a devastating toll on her life. She was separated from her daughter for three years and lost her fiancé, the father of her two children, who was one of the many Namibians whose fates and whereabouts are still unknown.
After independence finally came to Namibia in 1990, Dempers was determined to continue her fight for peace, justice and freedom. She made it her mission to raise awareness about what transpired in exile, and co-founded BWS.
Under her dedicated stewardship, BWS has forged links with the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). Her work with the national and international movement against gun violence is greatly influenced by her imprisonment and torture. She says, “That was done by the power of the gun. It made me realize the power that lies in a gun. I feel that there are people out there who are vulnerable, especially women. And I feel that I have the chance to make a difference.”
Dempers is also a former politician with the Congress of Democrats and was chairperson with NANGOF Trust, an umbrella organization of Namibian NGOs that promote and protect human rights and strengthen democracy.
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They Danced in Windowless Rooms: The Life of Najla Ayubi of Afghanistan
Gabrielle Clifford
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews, and a table of best practices in peacebuilding as demonstrated and reflected on by the peacemaker during her time at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Judge Najla Ayubi of Afghanistan is a firm believer that there can be no peace without justice. She first took the bench in the late 80s in her native Parwan Province, before being forced out of her profession and public life during the rule of the Taliban. Unwilling to accept her fate, Ayubi was soon organizing clandestine schools and sewing classes in bunkers, hidden from the Taliban’s religious police that forbade work for women or education for girls older than 8 years old. Raised in a family that prized education for both boys and girls, Ayubi herself has two MA degrees: one in law and politics from the State University of Tajikistan and another on post-war recovery and development studies from the University of York in the United Kingdom.
With the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Ayubi returned to work as senior state attorney, but saw that more was needed in the tumultuous period of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the country’s transition. Not one to sit idly by, Ayubi took increasing leadership roles promoting civic education, women’s empowerment, human rights and transparency as the country sought to write a new constitution and hold its first elections after decades of conflict. She served as a legal advisor for the State Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs of Afghanistan, commissioner at the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan and commissioner of the Joint Electoral Management Body.
An outspoken proponent of women’s rights frequently tasked with advising on gender mainstreaming, Judge Ayubi has not hesitated to critique post-conflict transition processes that have excluded women. This has not made her popular with the Taliban or certain tribal leaders who continue to hold positions of power. Undeterred, she continues to advocate for women’s rights in Islamic contexts and a society that values education and justice for women and men, as her family did in Parwan.
Ayubi served as a board member of Open Society Afghanistan and as country director of Open Society Afghanistan. She sits on a number of boards including as a global advisory board member of Women’s Regional Network, and a steering committee member of Tawanmandi. She recently served as deputy country representative of The Asia Foundation’s Afghanistan office.
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There is Another Way: The Life of Galia Golan of Israel
Claire Doran
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews, and a table of best practices in peacebuilding as demonstrated and reflected on by the peacemaker during her time at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Galia Golan of Israel knows well the subjects of Israeli-Palestinian politics. She is a professor emerita who lectures internationally and is a recognized expert in international affairs and foreign policy. That Golan is also a grassroots activist with several decades of experience focused on advancing women’s roles in peacebuilding and a key strategist in parliamentary activism, speaks volumes about her considerable and multilayered contributions to peace and justice in Israel.
Golan has been an instrumental figure in leading the Israeli peace movement, beginning with her role as a founder and leader of Peace Now, Israel’s prominent mass peace movement. She was an organizer of the unprecedented demonstration of 400,000 Israelis during the war with Lebanon, and the movement's representative on stage at the fateful peace rally at which former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995.
Golan co-founded and led two joint Israeli-Palestinian women’s peace organizations: the Jerusalem Link (Bat Shalom) and the International Women’s Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace. She was also a founding member and deputy chair of the Israel Women’s Network, a feminist lobby group that played a critical role in advancing women’s rights in Israel over the last quarter of a century. She has been in the leadership of the Meretz (social democratic) Party since its inception. As a colleague of hers observed, “She has been a role model for many of the young people, especially women, in the peace movement.”
Golan has become deeply convinced that joint Israeli-Palestinian activity is the key to resolution of the long-standing conflict. She is active in the leadership of the joint Israeli and Palestinian Forum of Peace NGOs, and the more recent Palestinian/Israeli peace movement Combatants for Peace, which consists of former combatants working together in grassroots groups and public activities.
As the first woman political scientist in Israel, Golan has bridged the worlds of academia and activism. Currently a sought-after advisor, she is a member of the board of the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Studies, and she founded both Israel’s first women’s studies program and the first master’s program in conflict resolution (in English) in Israel. Now retired, she is the academic advisor for a new international master’s program in conflict resolution to be held at the Arab-Jewish village of Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salam (Oasis of Peace) in Israel (under the auspices of the University of Massachusetts) with Arab, Jewish and international faculty and students.
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A Bridge to Truth: The Life of Glenda Wildschut of South Africa
Maggie Thach Morshed
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews, and a table of best practices in peacebuilding as demonstrated and reflected on by the peacemaker during her time at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Glenda Wildschut is a South African human rights activist and peacebuilder whose work dates back to the early 1980s, when she began working with political prisoners, their families, exiles and orphaned returnee children in South Africa and Namibia. Since then she has dedicated herself to human rights activism, torture rehabilitation and healing and reconciliation.
Wildschut was born into the violence and human rights abuses of South Africa. At an early age she felt the injustice of growing up in a system designed to disadvantage and oppress people of color. On this part of her life, she reflects, “It was determined where I should attend school, which university I should study at and which professions I will not be able to even consider pursuing.” Wildschut was also arrested and harassed by police. Determined to transcend these experiences of oppression, she obtained academic qualifications both in South Africa and the U.S., and made it her life focus to advocate for reconciliation and healing of the country’s fractured past.
A registered nurse, midwife and psychiatric nurse (specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry), Wildschut is recognized as someone who combines her professional training as a psychiatric nurse and her activism to produce meaningful effects. Early in her activism career, she collaborated with a group of health workers to establish a trauma center for survivors of violence and torture - the first center of its kind in South Africa. She is the first South African to be awarded the Health and Human Rights Award by the International Institute for Nursing Ethics.
In 1995, Wildschut was appointed by former president Nelson Mandela to serve as a commissioner on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She has since shared her expertise in peacebuilding and reconciliation in many countries, including Sierra Leone and Rwanda.
For over a decade, Wildschut has been a board member for the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation, helping it develop a Community Healing program which encourages community-level reconciliation. She continues to use her considerable skills, experience, passion and commitment in the journey of reconciliation and peace in South Africa.
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BUSYBODY FOR PEACE: The Life and Work of Nimalka Fernando of Sri Lanka
Sue Diaz
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, and a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews during her time at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Nimalka Fernando of Sri Lanka is a prominent human rights defender, lawyer and activist with over 30 years of peacemaking experience. She is a co-chair of South Asians for Human Rights and the president of the International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR) — an organization dedicated to eliminating discrimination and racism, forging international solidarity among discriminated minorities, and advancing the international human rights system.
A Sinhala Christian woman in Sri Lanka, Fernando is of the majority ethnic community but a religious minority — giving her a unique perspective on the bloody conflict that has polarized communities across the island for decades. As a colleague of hers has written, “Through Ms. Fernando’s biography it is possible to register key social movements in Sri Lanka, in South Asia, and globally.”
Fernando first became involved in human rights work with the Student Christian Movement of Sri Lanka, and then the Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality, which sparked in her an interest in law for social justice. The Voice of Women, the first feminist circle in Sri Lanka composed of professional and progressive women, further influenced Fernando as violence and political tensions continued to rise in the 1980s between the Sinhala government and Tamil separatists.
In frustration with the Sri Lankan legal system that failed to provide redress for egregious human rights abuses, Fernando moved into community development work and full-time activism — exposing her to severe repression by the state which viewed her as pro-Tamil. She was forced out of the country for a time.
While in exile, Fernando worked for the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development and became engaged in international advocacy at U.N. conferences and through networks working on minority rights. During the peace process mediated by Norway in the early 2000s, Fernando was involved in track-two negotiations and participated in the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development in Sri Lanka, while continuing her grassroots peacebuilding activities.
Fernando has been a founding member of several organizations, including a network of women’s organizations and activists committed to peacebuilding, known as Mothers and Daughters of Lanka. In 2011 she received the Citizen’s Peace Award from the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. She continues to face repression and threats for her fervent calls for accountability for alleged war crimes committed during the war.
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A SLOW BLOOM: The Life and Work of Ashima Kaul of India (Kashmir)
Alison Morse
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, and a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews during her time at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Ashima Kaul is a grassroots worker, journalist, policy analyst and social entrepreneur from India’s Kashmir Valley. Born and raised in Kashmir as part of the ethnic minority community of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits, she and her family moved out of the valley when she was 15. A decade later, her extended family that remained behind was forcibly displaced to Hindu- majority areas of the region as violence broke out between Kashmiri Muslims and Hindus.
After later trips to Kashmir on journalistic assignments, Kaul was struck and saddened by what had transpired there since she left and decided to act: “I had to recover the dying, bullet-ridden soul of Kashmir, rebuild broken relationships, break the silence of women, give them a voice and establish new spaces for creation of a spirit of trust, solace and healing.” Her first step was to facilitate a group dialogue with Muslim and Pandit women, leading to the creation of a formal dialogue group, Athwaas, or “handshake.”
In addition to the Kashmir dialogue groups, Athwaas brought together 50 women to advocate for peace from women’s perspectives, in a parallel platform from the official peace process initiated in 2005 that excluded women’s voices.
Kaul later founded the Yakjah Reconciliation and Development Network. Yakjah, which means “being together,” focuses on countering the violence in Kashmir by building relationships between different religious and ethnic groups through dialogue and development projects. The organization has a program on Youth Expression and Leadership, which holds cross-cultural workshops and exchanges across the region to involve young people in peacebuilding and developing their leadership skills. The program has reached over 400 youth so far, and includes a core group of 50 young men and women. As Kaul writes, “The youth form the critical mass. While they do carry the conflict legacy and can be indoctrinated in the name of religion, they also have the potential to lead for change.”
Kaul is part of the Women Waging Peace Network of the Institute for Inclusive Security, and is a local correspondent for Insight on Conflict, a website published by the international NGO Peace Direct.
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IF YOU SUFFER FOR DOING GOOD: The Life and Work of Margaret Arach Orech of Uganda
Tara Ruttenberg
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, and a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews during her time at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Margaret Arach Orech is the founder and director of the Uganda Landmine Survivors Association (ULSA). A survivor of a landmine explosion and a subsequent attack by rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), Orech is an ambassador for the Nobel Peace Prize- winning organization the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. In the late 1990s, while working for the Association of Volunteers in International Service, in Kitgum in northern Uganda, the bus she was riding in hit a landmine and was ambushed by the LRA. Her right leg was shattered from the blast; as the rebels scoured the bodies for survivors, she played dead until the army came nearly an hour later. Orech has worked since that time for the health and rights of fellow survivors of landmines and victims of the war in northern Uganda.
Orech’s work with communities affected by the conflict in northern Uganda includes encouraging dialogue and interaction with other survivors of violence, including former rebels. In one case, she came face to face with a young man who was part of the group responsible for the attack that nearly killed her. Showing him compassion upon his expression of remorse, she helped organize a traditional cleansing ceremony to help him begin his slow journey to recovery.
With ULSA, Orech mobilizes survivors in a peer support structure in which they share and develop ideas that address survivors’ needs and foster social and economic reintegration into their communities — many of which were displaced for years because of the violence in northern Uganda.
On the international level, Orech is a commissioner for the Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa, and continues to lobby nations to sign and ratify international agreements such as the Mine Ban Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She has met with heads of state and those in the midst of conflict to advocate on behalf of victims and survivors.
Of her experiences she writes, “My healing was a drawn [out] process, but I was able to overcome and now use the bitter experiences to encourage those who have faced similar situations that there is actually hope after all. ... Here I am, today, after that long and difficult road to recovery and the transformation from victim-survivor to peace advocate.”
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WHAT COLOR ARE THEIR TEARS? The Life and Work of Robi Damelin of Israel
Sigrid Tornquist
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, and a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews during her time at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Robi Damelin is a spokesperson and director of the Women’s Group for the Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF), a grassroots organization of more than 600 bereaved Palestinians and Israelis who promote reconciliation as an alternative to hatred and revenge.
Damelin moved to Israel from South Africa, where she had been involved in the anti-apartheid movement, in 1967 following the Six-Day War (also known as the Third Arab-Israeli War).
In 2002 her life changed dramatically when her son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper near a settlement during his army reserve service. Her first words to the army officers who appeared at her door to tell her about David were, “You may not kill anyone in the name of my son.”
She joined the PCFF after David’s death. As a spokesperson, she travels with a Palestinian partner throughout Israel, the West Bank and internationally to share their stories and message of reconciliation. Damelin also returned to South Africa to learn more about reconciliation processes that have been in motion since the end of apartheid, a journey chronicled in the film “One Day After Peace.” The sniper who killed David was arrested in 2004, motivating Damelin to begin her own difficult path of reconciliation with him and his family.
As director of the Women’s Group of the PCFF, she works with other bereaved women to, as she says, “solidify our choice to use our pain to prevent further bereavement” and “strengthen women’s voices as facilitators of reconciliation in their communities.” The group’s exhibits — photography, culinary arts, embroidery and others — have traveled the world spreading messages of hope and co- existence.
Damelin is also a board member of the Charter for Compassion and initiated the Israeli Palestinian Narratives Project, “History through the Human Eye,” through the PCFF. She writes, “I continue on this path inspired by my deep sense of loss, my commitment to building a more peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians, and my endless love for David.”
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STANDING WITH OUR SISTERS: The Life and Work of Rehana Hashmi of Pakistan
Sue Diaz
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, and a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews during her time at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Rehana Hashmi, a development professional and human rights defender, knows well the stark differences between the remote expanses of Pakistan and its bustling cities. Born in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly the North- West Frontier Province) and raised in the sparsely populated province of Balochistan, she now alternates her work between Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad and the remote regions of her childhood.
At a young age Hashmi saw her father jailed for political activism and soon followed in his footsteps, leading student protests as Pakistan went through political upheaval. When the police came to her door threatening her arrest, the teenage Hashmi was given two choices: stop the protests or leave town. But she would not be silenced.
In the 25 years since, Hashmi’s activism has centered on the defense of human rights, especially for women. She became a development specialist in the district of Chitral; the work involved organizing women of diverse sects to come together to improve their livelihoods. It was a challenging task, as women in this region had never before been allowed to form organizations or make decisions side by side with men.
Hashmi has also created two national networks to support women taking control of their rights. As the national manager of the Women Political School Project under the Ministry of Women Development, she trained over 25,000 elected women leaders to support their political engagement. Hashmi also formed the largest health worker’s network in the private sector to provide services in reproductive health, linking over 3,000 paramedics to reach 2 million women.
Through her leadership of Sisters Trust Pakistan, Hashmi has worked tirelessly to help victims of domestic violence and women and girls breaking free of religious fundamentalism and forced marriages. However, her defense of human rights has come at a price: A regular target of threats, Hashmi must frequently move locations, occasionally going into hiding. But this does not deter her. Despite many opportunities to settle abroad, Hashmi prefers to stay with the women and those marginalized in Pakistan society, helping them fight for their rights and create a country that will defend them.
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THE LAND OF MY MEMORIES: The Life and Work of Philister Baya Lawiri of South Sudan
Sally Kantar
In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, and a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews during her time at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Currently the chairperson of South Sudan’s Civil Service Commission, Philister Baya Lawiri was first a war child. At the age of 10, she and her family walked for 35 days through the forests of southern Sudan to what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo to escape the violence of the first civil war in Sudan. She traces her desire to build peace to her years in Uganda as a refugee and then in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, where she was living as an internally displaced person (IDP) when the second civil war broke out in 1983.
In the suburbs of the capital, gross human rights violations were committed by state security personnel against IDP women and children, including physical beatings, harassment, forced labor and imprisonment for breaching Sharia law. Appalled by the situation, Lawiri became a human rights monitor and trained women in the camps how to identify their perpetrators and document the violations so they could file for redress in court.
Lawiri and 10 other IDP women established Southern Women Solidarity for Peace and Development, a network of women’s groups established to assist women displaced by war. The group went on to write the book The Tragedy of Reality: Southern Sudanese Women Appeal for Peace, which was distributed at the Hague Appeal for Peace Conference in 1999.
Prior to the secession of South Sudan in 2011, Lawiri led the push for a 25 percent quota of women in Sudan’s election law, and was then appointed as one of only two women on Sudan’s National Electoral Commission, the nine-member national body appointed to oversee the 2010 general elections.
As someone who is well-known for “always believing not only in peace, but also in diversity as a source of power,” Lawiri serves has the South Sudan focal point for the bi-national Coalition of Women Leaders, supported by the Institute for Inclusive Security. The group of more than 200 women from Sudan and South Sudan works to advance women’s engagement in the peace process.
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