Why we need women peacemakers.

Women and peacebuilding have an inherent connection. Women are nurturers; peace has to be nurtured and mothered too. Peace and the peacebuilding process are two integrated mechanisms to bring sustainable harmony in the conflict zones. They are a combination of political and institutional reforms economic packages humanitarian relief efforts rehabilitation and reconciliatory measures and uninterrupted dialogue or negotiation at various levels. The purpose of this analysis is not to genderise peacebuilding but to bring in a rather helpful perspective to speed up the process through a systematic approach and creating a space for women in hardcore political and peace processes around the world.

Women constitute 50 percent of the total human population. We have two categories of women; one is the victim and survivor of the conflict and another is the powerhouse to play her role in law: making politicaleconomic and peacebuilding processes in a war: torn country. Lets have a look at the first category. They are known as the worst victim of armed conflicts and violence of various kinds. In active conflict zones women are the first casualty in terms of sexual abuse physical violence slavery tortures and even murders. In refugee camps or internally displaced populations (IDPs) women are the most insecure gender and require contextualised security arrangements in terms of their physicalbiological needs and spiritual needs such as dignity. A woman changes life patterns in a family. One has to make adjustments ranging from catering her monthly cycle where she needs a more private and acceptable space to be comfortable; to her various family roles such as motherhood or even if she is living a single life in a household. These are her everyday requirements roles and responsibilities. Imagine all these aspects of women living in violent conflict zones be it natural disasters or man: made. For a woman the first security threat while living in an IDP camp is not a bomb but a potential predatorharasser sharing the same camp. There have been many stories of international peacebuilderspeacemakers who molested and raped women living in conflict zones in Africa. The primary need for a woman survivor of the conflict was a piece of cloth or basic needs of food water or security from violent groups in those cases and they were brought to a scarier scenario of sexual abuse. This could be a nightmare for anyone living with such non: traditional security threats in the...