Increasing women’s participation in community-based peace and security structures

Women’s participation in peacebuilding and security is crucial, and not just because they make up half of the population of fragile and conflict-affected communities. Women are often more affected by conflict and suffer particular forms of violence on the basis of their sex and gender, fuelled by harmful gender norms and gender inequality. Because of their specific needs and experiences, determined mainly by these gender norms, they have a different understanding of safety and security issues affecting the communities in which they live and a different perspective of the conflicts that occur within their communities. Women’s voices must be heard in order for effective solutions to be found, and for peace to be both inclusive and sustainable. Women’s participation in peacebuilding and security is crucial and their voices must be heard for effective, lasting, solutions to conflict, and for peace to be inclusive and sustainable. Including women in community-based peace and security structures has been a central aim of NGOs who are supporting these structures, but the extent to which women are meaningfully participating in decision-making remains a concern. Drawing on the experiences of community-based peace structures across Central and East Africa, this learning paper explores the barriers to the meaningful inclusion of women, how to address them, and demonstrates the potential for these structures to transform gender relations in communities.