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Building peace

War destroys, divides… homes, hearts, and relationships. The world today is in the throes of various conflicts and crisis, which…

Building peace

Representational image (Photo: Getty Images)

War destroys, divides… homes, hearts, and relationships. The world today is in the throes of various conflicts and crisis, which has rendered hundreds of millions homeless and also virtually robbed them of a decent future. Women and girls are among the worst affected, often used, abused or left behind to pick up the pieces. Yet, when it comes to having a stake – and say – at the peace table, they are completely sidelined. Recently, resolute female voices from different strife-torn regions came together at the Jaipur Literature Festival to share some agonising experiences and ideas on building peace.

During the session ‘Women Waging Peace’ feminist activist Ruchira Gupta led the discussion that included Assamese writer and head of the Assam Sahitya Sabha, Dhruba Jyoti Borah, Kashmiri poet Naseem Shafaie and Dr Ornit Shani, a well-known political historian and lecturer at the University of Haifa, Israel.

Sharing her observations on Israeli women’s participation in the peace process in what can only be described as one of the most violent regions in world Dr. Ornit Shani said, “The interesting thing about our movement is that it is successfully bringing closer women of all ages and ethnic and religious backgrounds – Palestinian-Jewish, orthodox-secular, Muslim-Christians, Russians, grandmothers, daughters – from the margins of the peace discourse to the centrestage. We are training women [to have a voice] like never before.” 

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According to Dr. Shani, the idea behind having all the different voices on the peace table is to be able to change the approach with which the entire process is dealt. “Our mission is to transform the discourse in two ways—by highlighting the fact that the world wants peace and focusing on security. Here, security is measured on the scale of not how many missiles or aircrafts one has amassed but in terms of social security, personal security and economic employment security,” she asserted. 

Recalling her stint in the UN where she worked in conflict-hit areas for over a decade, Gupta stated that one of the reasons why women are the worst sufferers of war is because they are forced to grant sexual favours to soldiers, often referred to as “sugar daddies”, who are actually supposed to ensure their safety. Moreover, it’s not uncommon to find women being trafficked from these areas or brothels coming up in “absolutely normal looking households”. The very purpose of creating a UN Gender Task Force was to deal with such adverse situations and pay special attention to women and ensure that they are have a stake in peacekeeping. “Creating such platforms is crucial as very often women’s voices are neglected and negotiating peace remains the job of men.  As mothers, wives and daughters, women have a longer term interest in peace,” she pointed out.  

In 2000, the United Nations Security Council had acknowledged the need for women’s participation in negotiating peace, which resulted in the creation of Resolution 1325 to address the impact of war on women and the significant role they need to play in conflict management and achieving peace. “As the mother of an 18 year old in active military service, I publicly went on television to question my government’s decision to embark on a military operation, especially entering into Gaza in the summer of 2004. More than 2,000 people were killed in just a few weeks. Many more thousand Palestinians were rendered homeless. At the time, in retaliation, 4,000 rockets were fired from Gaza. Such mindless violence didn’t make sense to me as a woman and as a mother so I launched an initiative, Mother’s Asking,” Dr Shani shared.

On the heels of her intervention, other women’s groups, too, came up with similar projects. “During an interaction of a group of Israeli Palestinian and Jewish Israeli women, it became clear to everyone that there was no choice but to fight for peace. So jointly decided to set up a movement, Women Waging Peace,” she added.

Incredibly, the March of Hope these women conducted, initially in November 2014 after the war and later on in October 206 from the north of Israel to Jerusalem was a resounding success. “It was extraordinary to witness the determined women trudge 240 kilometres to demand peace. We are out there, doing what it takes, to change the political language to usher in peace,” she revealed. At the time, Dr Shani had contemplated embarking on a hunger strike to make a point and she was deeply moved when a Palestinian woman (whose son was in Gaza) expressed her wish to join her.

“Only mothers who lose their children know how war ruins lives and households,” reiterated Gupta, “Jumping into bunkers, shifting from here to there leads us nowhere.”

The Middle East has been living through an inter-generational crisis brought on by a fight for land and identity, something that states in north east India are only too familiar with. Dhruba Jyoti Borah has seen from close quarters the devastation unleashed by over two decades of ethnic insurgencies and armed struggle. “One girl from Udalguri district in Assam, who was sexually assaulted during ethic clashes and whose parents were shot dead, joined a rival insurgent outfit. She became a very tough instructor, training soldiers of hate. However, after facing many ups and downs, she realised that violence can never be the answer and she gave up that life. Instead, she became an entrepreneur, employing 200 women. These days, she’s become a very important part of the peace negotiation process between the state administration and the insurgent groups. She is a remarkable example of the kind of change that women are capable of bringing not just in themselves but in their community as well,” he narrated.

As someone who has grown up in the shadow of war Kashmiri poet Naseem Shafaie has used a creative medium to give vent to her feelings. Shafaie, who has been a teacher, recalled how her journalist husband was shot five times. “He survived that vicious attack but life generally gets derailed by such experiences,” she said. Fortunately, she found solace in poetry. For her, it “can play an important role in creating peace and keeping the hope of peace going”.

Women may largely be ignored by political establishments and their efforts towards peace may remain unknown and unsung but that has never stopped them from trying to join hands and find a common ground to put an end to bloodshed and war mongering. Whether in Assam or Kashmir in India or Haifa in the Middle East, they have shown how words and gestures of peace will definitely outlast the guns. 

women’s feature service

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