Thinking ahead for women's human right/Perspectives d'avenir pour les droit humains des femmes.

• Author: Naylor, Robyn

Isis-Women's International Cross Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE) is a global action oriented women's organisation that promotes justice, equality and mutual gender relationships. Founded in 1974, Isis-WICCE has been at the forefront in promoting women's participation in peacebuilding processes and the elimination of sexual and gender based violence. Infact, Isis-WICCE has become intimately familiar with issues of women's human rights violations in conflict and post conflict settings, and the direct impact such abuses have on countless communities. For far too long, women's bodies have been used as battlegrounds between warring factions, with rape as a weapon of war. The consequences of course are numerous including abject poverty, the spread of HIV/AIDS, psychological and physical trauma, gynecological and health complications, death and displacement all contributing to a lack of dignity.

Since 1993, Isis-WICCE has documented the experiences of women's rights violations in situations of armed conflict and what we have found on the ground are disturbing realities of how war has impacted the lives of women and girls. A considerable portion of Isis-WICCE's programmes is focused on documenting women's realities particularly in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan, where armed conflicts have raged for more than 20 years. As women are overwhelmingly victims of war, what we have also discovered is the state of many women as "walking corpses" or women have given up on life and lost a sense of dignity due to their traumatic situations. This trend can be reversed.

In August 2007, Isis-WICCE in collaboration with the Uganda Women's Peace Coalition and a Dutch NGO in The Hague engaged Northern Ugandan women on the ongoing peace process and just-ice mechanisms for redress. Through the consultations women were asked to identify the violations committed against them; who was the perpetrator (s); what form of justice is required for redress and what do they need to restore their dignity. In just four days, Isis-WICCE consulted with nearly 750 women leaders in three communities and survivors in internally displaced camps. More than fifty per cent were victims of war. In one district women shared stories of mutilations and disfigurement - where their ears, lips and noses have been cut off--adding to the immense trauma these women were forced to eat the body parts. Other women described horrific experiences of being forced to have sex with their children and dead corpses in public. We also found child mothers (not older than 12) forced into marriage and pregnancy by both armed rebels and government soldiers. What does this say about states failure to protect women in conflict and post conflict situations? Thinking ahead, we must challenge states to put in place mechanisms such as early warning systems to prevent conflict and protect women and girls in conflict situations. But also provide adequate resources and response mechanisms to deal with psychological and physical trauma affects of conflict.

What form of justice is required for redress and what do these and other women need to restore their dignity?

1. Access to Justice--For women whose human rights have been violated in conflict situations justice is a form of healing. In the recent consultations, the women Isis-WICCE interviewed overwhelmingly called for an end to impunity and effective restorative justice mechanisms to try perpetrators. Additionally, documenting women's voices and experiences is crucial in accessing justice by providing concrete evidence in court. Women in these communities have stressed the need for documentation to tell their story at national and international levels, but again resources are lacking to effectively record their stories.

2. Strengthening Peace Processes--Building peace is a long term process. In order for conflict resolution to take root, integrated peace processes must address women's requirements in post conflict settings. UN Resolution 1325 calls for women's participation in peacebuilding and conflict resolution processes. Empowering women through peacebuilding and conflict transformation is an indispensable tool for advancing development and reducing poverty. Because their involvement in peacebuilding is overlooked, women are largely underrepresented when it comes to negotiating treaties and peace agreements and enacting laws, and they continue to suffer quietly the consequences of the conflict with little redress.

   A Women's Peace Coalition in Uganda was established in 2006 to address the critical need to involve women in the peace process to successfully resolve the 20 year conflict in Northern Uganda. In this partnership, Isis-WICCE took the lead in documenting and supporting the peace talks between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army, under the leadership of Uganda Women's Network (UWONET) and with support from the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Women were strategic to raise awareness through this joint initiative:

   * Women from five districts experiencing violent conflict in Uganda were mobilized to gather women's voices and concerns on the peace process.

   * Peace at all Costs, a 12 minute video clip--was produced by Isis-WICCE on behalf of the Women's Peace Coalition and UNIFEM--captured the voices of women who shared their views for sustainable peace in Northern Uganda.

   * The Women's Peace Coalition initiative was successful in securing opportunities to lobby both parties in the conflict, the UN Special Envoy to Northern Uganda, and the chief mediator to gain more space for women in the peace negotiations.

   * Solidarity with women in Northern Uganda was strengthened for the promotion of a peaceful resolution to the on going conflict.

   Women activists including Isis-WICCE met with the chief negotiator to provide an overview of women's perspectives from Northern and North Eastern Uganda on the peace talks. Six months later, the negotiating parties have signed an agreement that embodies commitments to gender equality and women's rights.

3. Financing for Gender Equality--Gender equality is, first and foremost, a human right. Women are entitled to live in dignity and in freedom from want and from fear. Earlier this year, Isis-WICCE held a workshop at the Partners' Forum during the Commonwealth Eighth Women's Affairs Ministers Meeting (8WAMM) on the theme: Gender in Social Transformation: Democracy, Peace & Conflict in the Commonwealth Countries. The workshop served as...