Gender & Peace Operations Prepared by Janet M Eaton POSI, June 11, 2003

1. Gender & Peace Operations Prepared by Janet M Eaton POSI, June 11, 2003

2. Outline of Presentation • Introduction • Gender and Culture • Gender and Politics • Gender and Militarism • Trends in the New World (Dis) Order • Gender and Armed Conflict • History of Gender Issues and International Law – • Why Women in Peace Support Operations? • Gender in the New World (Dis) Order – Witness Iraq

3. Introduction Gender must be recognized as a vital component of plans and programs to avoid, mitigate and resolve conflict situations, and to build sustainable peace. To do an effective job, everyone involved in PSOs, NGOs, governments, militaries, police and humanitarian agencies must understand the gender dimension of conflict. http://www.genderandpeacekeeping.org/menu-e.asp

4. Introduction • Training for Gender responsive Peace Operations is part of a growing movement to deal with gender issues related to peace and security. • There is an increasing realization that when the work of Peace Support Operations is analyzed from a gender perspective , many of the problems associated with traditional methods of operation come into focus. • It is widely acknowledged that no intervention is neutral. Therefore it is desirable to ensure that the interventions of the international community do not compromise the human rights of women, men and children and that they succeed in protecting http://www.genderandpeacekeeping.org/

5. Introduction This presentation focuses on gender issues affecting women and girls from the perspective of the vulnerabilities of women in militaristic environments, and strengths that women bring to the peace process both as peace keepers and civilians.

6. Gender • Sex- identifies biological characteristics • Gender • Describes the social behaviours and roles societies assigned to men & women because of their sex e.g. • Child bearing sex related • Childrearing is gender related • Source: Vickers, Jill. Reinventing Political Science. A Feminist Perspective. Halifax: Fernwood. 2000. . Photo Credit RAWA

7. Gender Gender is a wide term, originating in the assumption of socially constructed femininities and masculinities. It also entails a society’s social power relations. Source: Olsson & Trygg. 2001. Women International peacekeeping. Introduction p. 3 Gender refers to the socially constructed roles and responsibilities of women and men. It includes the expectations held about the characteristics, aptitudes and likely behaviours of both men and women (femininity and masculinity) These roles and expectrations are learned , changeable over time and variable within and between cultures. Source: CIDA Gender Equality and Peacebuilding: An Operational Framework p.2 .

8. Gender & Culture Perspectives • Gender is about the social roles and relations between men and women I.e who does what work and how decisions made. • Gender varies over time and across cultures • Gender is multi-dimensional, influencing economic, political, and social interactions and needs. • Understanding gender also involves understanding power and how it is used and shared • Gender includes assumptions, expectations, and obligations about men and women • Gender is institutionalized and enacted at the level of the family, community, and the State • SourceGender & Peacekeeping Course, DFAIT http://www.genderandpeacekeeping.org/instructor-e.asp .

9. Gender & Culture • Our cultural background, experiences and education influences our assumptions, expectations, understanding, and belief systems, in other words our ‘world view’. • One researcher, Dr. Paul Ray, who studied value systems, categorized them as traditional, modern and post modern or culturally creative. These three value systems closely parallel different world views. • World views are predictors of cultural expectations, power relationships, gender role expectations among other things • Peace support operations take place in many cultural contexts, in a post-modern world where world views are changing and merging and a return to stability and security must be consistent with the cultural realities. It is important to have an appropriate awareness of these cultural differences and to understand the gender dimensions of culture and world views. • Source: Dr. Paul Ray and Sherri Anderson. 2001. The Cultural Creative [ See also slides at end of presentation for more on this subject .

10. Gender & Culture Perspectives • Our own world view and cultural framework influences the way we perceive the world. We might call this our lens. • It is important to see the situation through the a culturally appropriate lens and to be sensitive to the differences • This is especially true when it comes to gender. .

11. Gender - as Politics & Power Political scientists agree that politics is about power ! Politics flows through all social relationships -it is the cement that holds relationships together – it is the friction that tears them apart ! Source:Janine Bodie [Ed] Critical Concepts –An Introduction to Politics. 2001 .

12. Gender - as Politics & PowerPatriarchy One form of power relationship that is used in gender analysis is patriarchy ! A state of social development characterized by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family Male-dominated and generally hierarchical social structures including the church, military, corporations Source: Vickers, Jill. Reinventing Political Science. A Feminist Perspective. Halifax: Fernwood. 2000.

13. Global Dimensions of Patriarchy Patriarchy is not simply a phenomenon restricted to male dominance in the family but as an organizing principle of the entire global system. - Prof. Asoka Bandarage Source: Bandarage, Asoka. 1997. Women, Population and Global Crisis, A Political Economic Analysis. London Zed Books.

14. Political Power Relationships

15. Gendered ‘isms’ All of the ism’s listed on the previous slide have gender discriminatory dimensions as well ! Racism – Mary Robinson, former Dir. UNCHR Anthropomorphism – Prof. Asoka Bandarage Global capitalism i.e. Corporate Globalization – Feminization of Poverty -widely used concept Neo-colonialism - Dr. Vandana Shiva Militarism - WILPF, UNIFEM, Which means that women and girls may face greater abuse of human rights in situations where these forms of power exist.

16. Militarism Militarism is traditionally viewed as: military spirit, pursuit of military ideas; domination by the military in the formulation of policies, ideals, etc especially on a political level; a policy of maintaining a strong military organization in aggressive preparedness for war.' Source : Collins English Dictionary. 1996. 2nd Edition

17. Militarism Militarism as a process has both material and ideological manifestations. These vary in different cultures but there are some common elements. The material forms of militarism which are evident around the world include wars and direct military interventions, destabilization of other countries through proxy armies, foreign-sponsored coups, foreign and colonial occupation, military rule and abuse of human rights. Its institutional manifestations include the armed forces and government t budgets which devote a disproportionate amount of money to the military. Militarization is the "gradual encroachment of the military institution into the civilian arena," including, military contracts or the state relying on the military to solve its unemployment problems.

18. Militarism Militarism encompasses much more than just the armed forces of a state and their activities. It is an ideology of power affecting governments with different political objectives and it’s influence can become part of a social process which penetrates all areas of a society… Militarism involves a willingness on the part of states to realize their policies through deliberate and organized use of physical force. … War is not a continuous state of humanity, nor is it something which creates itself or "just happens." It is a direct result of militarism, and should be seen in that light. Source:Burke , Colleen. 2000. Women and Militarism. Women's International League for Peace & Freedom [WILPF]. 2000. --

19. Militarism The ideological manifestations of militarism include a dissemination of military values, symbols and language among the civilian population which promotes acceptance of hierarchies, nationalism which defines the "other" as enemy, violence as a legitimate means of resolving conflicts, and strict division of proper masculine and feminine roles. Source:Burke , Colleen. 2000. Women and Militarism. Women's International League for Peace & Freedom [WILPF]. 2000.

20. Global Impacts –of Globalization and Militarism End of Century Trends of the New World (Dis) order are discouraging for they indicate that fear, increasing violence, instability, and complex emergencies are on the rise, all of which contribute to the need for greater understanding of the gender differences in regard to economic globalization, war, impacts of war and the realities of maintaining, building and keeping peace in the world . * Let us quickly scan some of those realities. *

21. End of Century Trends “AT the DAWN OF the NEW MILLENIUM We are caught in a relentless spiral of violence and self-destruction - a planet desperately out of balance” Source: Asoka Bandarage. 1997. Women, Population & Global Crisis: A Political Economic Analysis.

22. Globalization & Militarism-Overall Impacts • In sharp contrast to the peaceful New World Order envisioned at the end of the Cold War - the world is now experiencing an intensification of 'complex emergencies' combining armed conflicts with collapse of economic, political, and social institutions, environmental destruction, poverty , displacement and massive slaughter. Source : Bandarage Ibid

23. Globalization - Is it good ? Global Communication Increased knowledge transfer Technology and innovation spreading Global Village Increased prosperity for some Evolution of Higher Order Value systems - Cultural Creative Growth of theGlobal Democracy Movement/ Global Justice Movement/ Global Peace Movement and alternatives to economic and militaristic violence.

24. Globalization –Is it bad ? Growing Global economic disparity & inequity within nation states & across North /South divide. Increasing Global Insecurity –terrorism, disease, natural disasters threaten survival Environmental Destruction threatens survival War & Armed Conflict Rising –threaten survival Diminishment of arms control, growth in arms trade, WMD, etc threaten survival Increase in refugees, un-natural disasters Increase in human rights violations Increase in women’s human rights violations

25. Globalization’s Impact –IMF • Privatizes services - requiring fees for service in many cases • Massive cuts to public sector- health, education, social services • Claw backs in protective legislation • Cuts in environment always first to go • Cuts food subsidies - favours agribusiness • Encourages export crops - vegetables, flowers-orchids etc., agribusiness, fish farming etc

26. Environmental Destruction Global Water Crisis [Wars of future] Overfishing [10% remaining] Deforestation Desertification –grasslands , rangelands retreat Topsoil erosion Depletion ozone layer Accumulation greenhouse gases Loss of biodiversity –species extinction Acid rain, Air, Land, Water Pollution Radiation - DU, electromagnetic etc Source : Lester Brown. 2000. Eco-Economy

27. Environmental Destruction Consider that the impacts are due to two major human activities Economic development exacerbated by neoliberal economic policies Militarism and War

28. Displaced Peoples • Number of displaced persons in the world increasing at alarming as consequence of globalization and militarism: • Economic globalization [fossil fuel economy] is exacerbating global warming creating storms, rising sea levels displacing millions • Economic globalization is displacing millions through ‘big dam ‘ projects-mega projects - corporate model

29. Globalization’s Impact -WBBig Dams -A Roy “Big dams are monuments to political corruption and power. They are technologically obsolete, ecologically dangerous and economically unviable. They are most devastating. Like a silent war''. -- Arundhati Roy

30. Displaced Peoples • Economic globalization is displacing millions from rural area through SAPS- structural adjustment programs which favour urbanization and take away means of subsistence survival • Militarism - war, armed conflict is displacing millions • Arms trade is mitigating against democracy in many third world countries and destabilizing the world leading to mass migrations

31. Hunger & Disease • Millions of people are dying of hunger disease, and war . UN reports show that • 1.6 billion people are faring worse than at the beginning of the 1980s. and that • Over 820 million people are undernourished • The vast majority, 790 million of them live in the Developing World. • Positive developments - Brazil’s special program Zero Hunger !

32. War and Armed Conflict Rising • The National Defense Council Foundation reports an increase in military coups and an erosion in democratic advances • The number of nations in conflict in 2001 was 65 - nearly twice the level at the end of the Cold War. • The survey predicts even more turmoil ahead • One of reasons cited is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. • Unending War on Terror plunges us into even more unstable times and more human rights abuses

33. Human Rights Abuses Rising • Human Rights Watch reported in 2001 that the past year had seen a deterioration in the rights of the victims of torturing governments, repressive regimes and murderous opposition groups. • Since 9/11 and the resulting crack down on terrorists there has been an unprecedented repression of human rights around the world including the developed world. • Sidetracking of UN has also jeopardized many of the treaties women have relied on to enforce and engender human rights. Source: Human Rights Watch Report 2001 http://www.hrw.org/wr2k1/

34. Abuse of Women’s Rights • Throughout UN B+5 Conference the impacts of globalization, militarism and rising fundamentalism were constantly cited for their devastating impacts on women's economic well being , health, and human rights. .

35. Abuse of Women’s Human Rights • In particular military sexual violence against women has been condemned by individual governments and the United Nations as the most widely reviled abuse of women's human rights at the end of the century.

36. Trends Impact Peace Operations • These trends all of which have their own gender dimensions can further exacerbate peace operations making it even more imperative to consider gender and cultural differences.

37. Gender and Armed Conflict The next section of the power point examines root causes of sexual military violence, the history of War and Rape , the earlier United Nations Response, the historic importance of the women’s movement and the particular importance of UN actions in the last decade of the century in addressing not only women and violence but women in the peace process

38. War & Rape -Hidden Atrocities • Rape and sexual violence in armed conflict recognized by sociologists, third world political economic analyses and feminists as Systemic, Historical & Patriarchal Construct. • Feminist scholars, researchers and authors describe stark accounts of rape & sexual atrocities throughout history and the patriarchal origins and context of war.

39. War & Sexual violence • Mass rape • Sexual slavery & enforced prostitution (comfort women Japan, East Timor, Rwanda) • Custodial Violence e.g. women held in prisons • Forced Pregnancy • Domestic Violence increases during war and armed conflict • Source : Gender & PK Training Course DFAIT -Gender & the Conflict Phase http://www.genderandpeacekeeping.org

40. War & Sexual Violence -Why ? • Spoils of War -to which soldiers are entitled • Means of troop mollification especially in regard to sexual slavery • To destroy enemy male, community pride • Punishment of women - politically active • Inflicting terror on population at large • Part of genocidal strategy Source: Women 2000. Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict UN Response

41. War & Sexual Violence- History • WW II -Historical records silent • Sexual Violence perpetrated by all sides of conflict • Sexual violence long accepted as reality of armed conflict • No strong women’s movement to exert pressure for redress • Only in recent years has the reality come to the fore with revelations of sexual slavery of thousands of Asian comfort women and the media’s attention to Moslem women in rape camps in Bosnia in early 90’s. Source: Women 2000. Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict UN Response

42. UN Response to Sexual Violence • 1969 One of 1st refs to women & armed conflict within UN system with Commission on Status of Women ECOSOC asked UNGA to adopt Declaration on topic • 1974 UNGA adopted Declaration on Protection of Women & children in Emergency and Armed Conflict • 1980’s ECOSOC series of resolutions on Palestinian women and children in occupied Arab territories, in Namibia, but no mention of sexual violence- • 1985- Conference Nairobi-adopted blueprint for year 2000 with reference to vulnerability of women in armed conflict including threat of physical abuse.

43. UN Response to Sexual Violence1990s • With the sexual atrocities in Bosnia and Herzegovina references began to appear throughout UN related to sexual violence during armed conflict • Security Council Resolution 798 Dec 18, 1992 • Security Co. est’d Commission of Experts (Yugoslav Comm) to investigate abuses of Int Humanitarian Law. Listed sexual assault as one of priority areas. • 1993 - Sec Co. created an hoc war crimes tribunal (Yugoslav tribunal) -gov statue refers to rape as crime

44. UN Response -1990s - • 1993 Vienna Conference on Human Rights • 1993 Vienna Tribunal on Women’s Human Rights [Landmark] • 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 1993 Article 38 • 1993 UNGA adopted Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women • 1994 CHR appoints Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Radhika Coomaraswamy • 1994 Ms Linda Chavez appointed Special Rapporteur on Question of Systemic Rape and Sexual slavery, and Slavery -like Practices During Wartime • 1994 Nov War Crimes Tribunal - Rwanda • 1995 4th World Conference on Women Beijing & Women & Armed Conflict Tribunal

45. UN Beijing Platform for Action - The Platform for Action, adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, identified the effects of armed conflict on women as one of 12 critical areas of concern requiring action by governments and the international community, and stressed the need to promote the equal participation of women in conflict resolution at decision-making levels

46. 2000 UN Beijing + 5 Conference Throughout UN B+5 Conference the impacts of globalization, militarism and rising fundamentalism were constantly cited for their devastating impacts on women's economic well being , health, and human rights. .

47. Turning Point -1990’s United Nations Response • Despite limitations, there is now substantial evidence that the national community has changed regarding sexual assault during armed conflict. • Over the course of half a century, the issue of women and armed conflict has developed within the UN framework from a limited concern with situation of women as mothers and care-givers to a recognition that sexual violence vs women and girls is a violation of international human rights and humanitarian law that must be addressed.

48. References to UN Gender in Conflict and Peace Process • For References to the general history and United Nations history of Gender in conflict situations and peace keeping process see Handout on References.

49. International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law • International Human Rights Laws and Humanitarian Laws are the framework for all PSOs • Understanding these laws and how they relate to diverse situations helps in planning and responding effectively in conflict situations. • Gender based violence and human rights violations, as we have noted, are weapons of war and to combat them we must understand their basis.

50. International Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law • International Human Rights and Int. Humanitarian Laws are two separate but complementary parts of public international law. • Int Humanitarian Law seeks to protect people in time of war who are not taking part in the hostilities and it seeks to limit the hostilities • The Main Instruments of Humanitarian Law aka the “Law of armed conflict” are the four Geneva Conventions and their 2 added protocols • Virtually every country is a party to the convention of 1949.