Albert G. Mugumya
As Northern Uganda moves towards achieving permanent peace, women should be given a greater role in the reconstruction, demobilisation, reintegration and development programmes in the northern region. Gender sensitive peace building is crucial to achieving sustainable peace and development.
Majority of the civilian casualties in the northern conflict as well as the refugees and IDPs in the Acholi sub-region have been women and children. Women in conflict and post-conflict situations are at risk from multiple forms of violence and are often deliberate targets in conflict. They often end up caring for those injured and find themselves unexpectedly cast as the sole head of the household, making the challenges they face quite immense.
In northern Uganda, like in other conflicts, women have been systematically singled out for sexual violence and other atrocities. They have been raped with impunity and it is well known that the worst kind of weapon of war is rape. These women victims are facing insurmountable difficulties in trying to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Therefore the unique needs of women in conflict and post-conflict situations might be well addressed by women themselves.
Despite overwhelming challenges against them, majority of women in post-conflict situations are working towards constructing new visions of peace and security which place human concerns at their centre.
Several women in Uganda have fostered numerous initiatives to prevent, stop, and help victims recover from war through different organisations. Many women have also been at the fore front of peace building and conflict resolution work in all its manifestations, yet their peace building work and perspectives seem to have been rendered invisible. It’s therefore imperative that their wealth of expertise is tapped.
Unfortunately women rarely have access to political power structures and continue to be absent or poorly represented at peace negotiations. Having participated in the consultations on reconciliation and accountability between civil society and the LRA, I only saw one woman on the LRA side and that was Hon. Santa Okot who seemed to be handling more of logistical issues as opposed to the real issues on reconciliation and accountability. No woman was seen on the government side, yet women are meant to be part of this process as mandated by UN resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security.
On October 31, 2000, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. Resolution 1325 marked the first time the Security Council addressed the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women; recognised the under-valued and under-utilised contributions women make to conflict prevention, peace keeping, conflict resolution and peace building, and stressed the importance of their equal and full participation as active agents in peace and security.
The Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP), which addresses the greater North, including Karamoja and West Nile, will plan and provide emergency relief, revitalise health care and education services, strengthen judicial and police forces, and other initiatives to assist the return and resettlement of the displaced population. The plan will serve as a foundation for the re-establishment of an environment that will enable people in the northern sub-region to re-ignite development. While the PRDP provides an encouraging framework, concerns remain about prospects for its implementation, but above all how to gender mainstream it.
Women in Northern Uganda should therefore get their voices heard, and make their presence felt and, of course, facilitated by government and other capable stakeholders. A gendered analysis towards peace building strategies will strengthen peace building efforts in the region.
The author is a specialist in conflict transformation, and peace building
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Majority of the civilian casualties in the northern conflict as well as the refugees and IDPs in the Acholi sub-region have been women and children. Women in conflict and post-conflict situations are at risk from multiple forms of violence and are often deliberate targets in conflict. They often end up caring for those injured and find themselves unexpectedly cast as the sole head of the household, making the challenges they face quite immense.
In northern Uganda, like in other conflicts, women have been systematically singled out for sexual violence and other atrocities. They have been raped with impunity and it is well known that the worst kind of weapon of war is rape. These women victims are facing insurmountable difficulties in trying to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Therefore the unique needs of women in conflict and post-conflict situations might be well addressed by women themselves.
Despite overwhelming challenges against them, majority of women in post-conflict situations are working towards constructing new visions of peace and security which place human concerns at their centre.
Several women in Uganda have fostered numerous initiatives to prevent, stop, and help victims recover from war through different organisations. Many women have also been at the fore front of peace building and conflict resolution work in all its manifestations, yet their peace building work and perspectives seem to have been rendered invisible. It’s therefore imperative that their wealth of expertise is tapped.
Unfortunately women rarely have access to political power structures and continue to be absent or poorly represented at peace negotiations. Having participated in the consultations on reconciliation and accountability between civil society and the LRA, I only saw one woman on the LRA side and that was Hon. Santa Okot who seemed to be handling more of logistical issues as opposed to the real issues on reconciliation and accountability. No woman was seen on the government side, yet women are meant to be part of this process as mandated by UN resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security.
On October 31, 2000, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. Resolution 1325 marked the first time the Security Council addressed the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women; recognised the under-valued and under-utilised contributions women make to conflict prevention, peace keeping, conflict resolution and peace building, and stressed the importance of their equal and full participation as active agents in peace and security.
The Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP), which addresses the greater North, including Karamoja and West Nile, will plan and provide emergency relief, revitalise health care and education services, strengthen judicial and police forces, and other initiatives to assist the return and resettlement of the displaced population. The plan will serve as a foundation for the re-establishment of an environment that will enable people in the northern sub-region to re-ignite development. While the PRDP provides an encouraging framework, concerns remain about prospects for its implementation, but above all how to gender mainstream it.
Women in Northern Uganda should therefore get their voices heard, and make their presence felt and, of course, facilitated by government and other capable stakeholders. A gendered analysis towards peace building strategies will strengthen peace building efforts in the region.
The author is a specialist in conflict transformation, and peace building
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Source: Monitor
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