Women’s role in peace-building

Women and children are the most vulnerable in wars. Considering that mothers are mostly affected by the welfare of their children, war has several negative psychological effects on them due to physical and emotional abuse.As a result, several meetings such as the 1995 UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) and the International Peace Bureau (IPB) have regularly raised awareness and increased the support of women in peace initiatives. Rwanda is known for its experience during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and several testimonies have been told of the terror that women and children suffered in those 100 days. Stories of rape, torture, mutilation among others have left thousands with both physical and emotional wounds. Eighteen years later, Rwanda is known for its tremendous progress in the social economic and political sectors; these are mostly attributed to the unity and reconciliation efforts that have fostered peace and harmony.Conitas Umurerwa, a counsellor at Avega Agahozo says great progress has been achieved by women survivours of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. For seven years, Umurerwa has worked with and helped thousands of women who were traumatised by the Genocide.“War is a very big thing and the harm it causes can be so dangerous both mentally and physically. We do a lot of counselling and talk a lot with women who still feel affected by the 1994 Genocide,” Umurerwa said.Avega Agahozo is a non-profit organisation that was created on January 15, 1995 by 50 widows who are also genocide survivors. With this sad experience, they decided to stretch out a hand to women survivours dealing with trauma as a result of violence with the hope that they could together overcome their challenges.“We also provide sustainable financial support through training them in income generating activities such as tailoring. This makes the women feel at home and enables them to not dwell so much on their past. “By getting them involved in these activities, they socialise and make new friends hence become less lonely,” explained Umurerwa.Movies have been made, books written and people have talked about the effects of war, but most research work reveals that the best way to get over the stress and anxiety resulting from war is forgiveness. Josian Uwamaria, a 38-year-old woman from Gikondo, says she dealt with the terrible effects of the Genocide for several years. Without professional psychological help, she has had to deal with her trauma in her own way. “The tragedy in 1994 left me with no family; it was the worst moment in my life. Then in 2003 the killers were provisionary released and it hurt so much. I didn’t know what to do or think,” Uwamaria says.This however, did not stop her from forgiving those who hurt her.“When I learnt to forgive those who killed my family, I realised that it was such a great relief. The fact that today I don’t fear them anymore is making me stronger as an individual, all thanks to our Government that continues to encourage us to forgive and build a brighter future,” Uwamaria said.This year to mark the International Women’s Day on March 8th, the women and girls month was launched. Under the theme, “Empower women and girls to sustain families”, various campaigns took place mostly focusing on the economic empowerment of women, promotion of girls’ education as well as good governance.According to Leonillah Mukunzi, the restaurant owner of African Villa in Kigali, the Government’s initiatives to enable women become their best in society has resulted in Rwanda becoming a good example in the region and the world at large.“It’s great that our Government is thoughtful about women issues. There are many women-supporting programmes and organisations that promote peace as central to the progress of women, girls and the society. As a result, Rwanda has been recognised by other countries for its progress and is becoming a role-model,” explained Mukunzi.However, solving the physical effects of war is not enough; more has to be done when it comes to healing emotional and psychological trauma.“War affects people financially, emotionally and mentally in ways that we cannot easily understand. That is why the fight for peace and disarmament is not just the responsibility of women but everyone else,” Steven Uwizeye, an International Relations student at Mount Kenya University said.He added that, “It’s not just Rwanda that should advocate for peace, every single country in the world should participate in peace building and reconciliation efforts and use diplomacy to settle misunderstandings.”A point in case is the Democratic Republic of Congo which today is the greatest violator of the rights of women with soaring rape cases as fighting between rebel groups continues.In one documentary, ‘Congo Wars’ by Maris Beck several stories are reported on the crimes committed on the women of Congo.“They were completely unashamed and were bragging about having raped dozens of women. They would never be court-martialled, or spend any time in prison,” Marie Jeane Fazili a Congolese woman stated.Today several other women and children are affected, not only in Congo but in other countries that are involved in wars, such as Syria, Somalia and recently during the Arab Spring that occurred in Egypt, Algeria, Tunisa, Morocco and Libya. Women’s contribution to national development cannot be underestimated. They have proven to be effective managers and capable politicians as well as competent professionals in all sectors of society but this can’t be achieved without peace.

Insight

Women’s role in peace-building