Focus on the DRC

Friday, August 31, 2007

Issue:

1. EDITORIAL
The PeaceWomen Team

This edition of the PeaceWomen E-News focuses on women, peace and security issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The issues dealt with in this context find reflection in many parts of the world. As can be seen from our news stories (Item 2) these range from sexual violence in conflict to women's participation in peace processes, elections and government. In any specific context it is vital that women themselves be heard and the PeaceWomen Project endeavors to provide a space for this. In this regard we are pleased to share with you the reflections of three women from the DRC in our Feature Analysis section (Item 3). Each of these highlights themes that are picked up on elsewhere in the newsletter. We would like to thank WILPF member Marie-Claire Faray-Kele, a Congolese woman living in the UK, for her work in the DRC; for sending these contributions; and for her own reflections on the situation of Congolese women. Marie-Louise Mazunga Pambu highlights several key concerns of Congolese women including the low percentage of women in government following the 2006 elections. The issue of women's political participation and decision-making in Africa is the subject of an online discussion from early September to mid-October and is detailed in our Calendar (Item 8). Also noted here are training courses on an issue which is as, if not more, significant than participation alone – that of gender responsive governance.

Also in the Feature Analysis section, Annie Matundu Mbambi looks at the impact of 1325 for Congolese women and, in particular, examines the work of the UN's peacekeeping mission in the DRC – MONUC – and the work of its gender unit. Further information on MONUC and its mandate in relation to women and gender can be found in the Security Council Monitor (Item 5). This provides an overview of language on women and gender in the Security Council Resolutions that establish MONUC's mandate. This overview focuses on language in relation to sexual and gender-based violence and then goes on to look at reporting on such violence in the Secretary-General's reports on the Mission to the Security Council. What is clear from this analysis is that despite extremely high levels of sexual and gender-based violence in the DRC, the reporting to the Security Council by no means reflects the reality of the situation.

The lack of information before the Council is part of the larger problem of Security Council inaction on sexual violence in conflict and continued widespread impunity. Our Feature Initiative (Item 4) – focused on women and girls of the DRC – calls for an end to such impunity and for the full implementation of laws that protect and empower women. The campaign – an initiative of V-Day and UNICEF on behalf of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict – offers opportunities for individuals to take action in a concrete way. It is also a reminder that the actions of many different actors are relevant in the implementation of 1325. Our Feature Resources (Item 6) both highlight the important role of men. The first of these resources looks at work being done to prepare men to advocate for women's rights in Eastern Congo through Women for Women International's Men's Leadership Program that aims to “prepare them to leverage their community influence, to create trickle-down changes in attitudes at all levels and to engage men in intervention, prevention and reconciliation efforts.” Similar engagement with men in women, peace and security is reflected in the resource from the UK group Gender Action for Peace and Security that focuses on the relevance of 1325 to men and explores strategies to increase their engagement with the resolution. Increasing engagement with 1325 is one of the goals of the PeaceWomen Project's Translation Initiative, which solicits and collects translations of 1325. In this month's Translation Update (Item 7) the 80th translation in Krio (a language of Sierra Leone) is featured. In keeping with our DRC focus, we also feature links to 1325 translations into 4 African languages spoken in the DRC.

We continue to welcome contributions to the newsletter's content. Contributions for the September 2007 edition, should be sent to enewssubmissions@peacewomen.org by Thursday 20 September 2007.

Women begin using law to lock away rapists in Liberia
August 14, 2007 – (Associated Press) Under an old foam mattress in one of this city's slums, Niome David keeps a dark memento -- the underwear her 9-year-old daughter was wearing the night she was raped.After 14 years of civil war, many have become accustomed to covering up their horrors in shallow graves -- including David, whose husband was executed during the war and whom she buried on a roadside. But an 18-month-old law is encouraging women to turn to the courts, which can lock convicted rapists away for life.

Moroccan group voices women's demands in upcoming elections
August 1, 2007 - (Pambazuka News) In the lead-up to Morocco's September elections, a new project has begun to educate and organise women to press forward with their agendas. The Social Movement for Equality and Citizenship's "Responsible Citizen Project" reiterates the common demands put forth by women, to compel voters to action.

UN accuses Sudan militia of mass abduction and rape
August 21, 2007 - (Reuters) The United Nations' human rights office on Tuesday accused forces allied with Sudan's government of mass abduction and rape of women and girls in Darfur, acts it said could constitute war crimes.

HYBRID DARFUR FORCE WILL HELP PROTECT LIVES OF WOMEN, SAYS UN INSTITUTE CHIEF
August 1, 2007 – (UN News) The newly authorized hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur can serve as a major step towards saving the lives of vulnerable women and girls in the violence-wracked Sudanese region, the head of a UN women's institute said today.

Angola: Talks On Gender This Month in Cacuaco, Cazenga Districts
August 21, 2007 – (AllAfrica) Talks about civic education relating to gender are taking place throughout the month of August at Luanda's Cazenga and Cacuaco districts, promoted by the Angolan non-governmental organisation League of Sports, Culture and Environment (Lideca), ANGOP has learnt.

South africa: KZN Women Fill the Seats of Power
August 9, 2007 – (AllAfrica) KwaZulu-Natal province has put more women into positions of power as part of the national drive to give them the opportunity to play a role in decision making processes.

Namibia: MPs to Visit Otjozondjupa
August 6, 2007 – (AllAfrica) A 10-member delegation from Parliament will undertake an extensive tour of the Otjozondjupa Region to familiarise themselves with gender issues and other social matters.

Haiti: UN SUPPORTS NATIONWIDE POLICE EFFORT TO RECRUIT MORE FEMALE OFFICERS
August 10, 2007 - (UN News) Thousands of Haitian women this week registered to join their country's police academy in a campaign led by the national police service and backed by the United Nations to encourage the recruitment of more female officers.

Peru: Rapes during the armed conflict regarded as strategy of war
August 1, 2007— (IACHR, Press release) The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) held its 128th period of sessions from July 16 to 27. During the sessions, the IACHR held 25 public hearings in which it received valuable information from the States, civil society organizations and petitioners. It also held 15 working meetings on pending petitions and cases, had a productive meeting with the Ambassadors from the Andean region, and discussed and approved 44 reports. The IACHR values and appreciates the active participation of the States and civil society in the sessions, which strengthens the inter-American system for the protection of human rights.

Jordan: Government pledges to amend discriminatory laws
August 12, 2007 - (Jordan Times) Women activists on Saturday said the government had promised to work on amending all laws that discriminate against women within the next two years.

Traffickers exploit increased mobility of underage girls
August 22, 2007 - (IRIN) Despite measures by the government and NGOs to protect girls from being trafficked, the situation has barely changed, according to activists, who said hundreds of Nepalese girls still get trafficked to India every year where they are forced into prostitution.

Pakistan: Looking to Women to Preserve the Peace
August 14, 2007 - (Inter Press Service Agency) ''The idea is to ensure that a May 12 never happens again,'' said Nasir Aslam Zahid, former judge and one of the members of the Women's Commission for Peace (WCP) formed in time for Tuesday when Pakistan celebrates its 60th year of independence.

Gender violence common in Fiji
August 15, 2007 - (Fiji Times) The cases of gender-based violence are most prominent in Fiji compared to other Pacific islands, says Doctor Wame Baravilala, UNFPA's adviser in reproductive health.

Phillipines: Women peace activists call for renewed talks with MILF
August 13, 2007 - (www.inquirer.net) At the end of their four-day peace and solidarity mission, women peace activists from the Asia-Pacific region on Monday called for the resumption of peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

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Regional News Links
In an effort to present news more efficiently and to account for the considerable reporting that is done on a regional level, news on peacewomen.org will now be presented on a regional basis. Archived news prior to 2007 on individual countries can be accessed through links on these regional pages.

Africa
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/Africa/africaregions.html

Latin America and Caribbean http://www.peacewomen.org/news/LatinAmerica&Carib/latinamerica&carib.html

Middle East
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/MiddleEast/middleeast.html

South Asia
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/SouthAsia/southasia.html

South East Asia and Pacific
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/AsiaPacific/AsiaPacific.html

Central Eastern Europe http://www.peacewomen.org/news/CentralEasternEurope/centraleasterneurope...

Northern Europe
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/NorthernEurope/NorthernEurope.html

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For more regional women, peace and security news, CLICK HERE

For more international women, peace and security news, CLICK HERE

Included here are extracts from several articles written for the PeaceWomen Project by women from the Democratic Republic of Congo. These present some of the issues felt to be most critical to women themselves and also provide some analysis and reflection on the situation of women in the DRC. The full articles, including the originals in French, are all available on the PeaceWomen website via the links below.

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The situation of Congolese Women: War, Peace building, Participation and Feminism.
August 2007, By Marie-Claire Faray-Kele, WILPF UK

August 2007, In the Democratic Republic of Congo, women's rights have, in theory, been institutionalised in the constitution since the 1960s. However, the DRC government, and society generally, fail to protect women, probably due to the fact that the law is only respected when it applies to women or families of those who are privileged enough to be able to afford to pay for their rights.

Nevertheless, in the early eighties, there was an emergence of leadership, which was visible in the movement of women who were involved in informal trade and were economically empowered, as well as those women who fought hard for the change of certain laws in the Congolese constitution. Unfortunately, due to the economic and political context of that era, this early movement struggled to have an impact on the application of the law as well as on the general condition of women in the DRC. Poverty, lack of education/instruction, coupled with a terrible retrograde patriarchal mentality and inadequate support of women in many part of the DRC, led to a general unawareness by women, specifically of their civil rights.

Furthermore, since 1996, following more than a decade of a regional and civil conflict involving more than five neighbouring countries, rape and atrocious deliberate genital mutilation have been used as weapons of intimidation and war, in addition to the daily occurrence of rape in Congolese society. This further destroyed women's self-esteem in this patriarchal society where these endemic abuses, although punishable by law, are still seen as taboo. This condemns women to silence or to face shame, rejection and isolation. This consequently reinforces the culture of impunity in the DRC and is exacerbated by women's poverty and lack of any means of seeking any form of justice even when they know the perpetrators.

For the full report, please click HERE

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Resolution 1325 : What effective impact for Congolese Women?
By Annie Matandu-Mbambi, Femmes du Bas-Fleuve (AFEBAF)

The adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 has undoubtedly influenced opinion on the issue of the contribution of women to peace and security in the world.

The department of Peacekeeping operations has taken decisive steps in the implementation of the SCR 1325. This is the case for the operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where gender experts play an important role in putting these questions at the center of Peacekeeping operations work. This resolution has become a model of activities to ensure the protection of women by the Peacekeeping operations.

For the full article in English, please click HERE:

For the full report in French, please click HERE:

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The Cry of a Congolese Woman
By Marie-Louise Mazunga Pambu, COMMON CAUSE UK, platform of Congolese women in the UK
Unofficial translation from French by M-C Faray and the PeaceWomen team
August 28, 2007

“If silence is a crime, knowing and saying nothing is a more serious one”

The continuous silence which surrounds today's tragedy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a serious crime. For a decade now, Congolese people in general, and women in particular, are enduring incredible suffering. The DRC, with its sixty million inhabitants, has been reported to have women constituting up to 51% of the population. Unfortunately, this majority is without a voice!

.........Here are some observations:

1) The DRC has signed and ratified human rights treaties and in particular CEDAW which was signed in 1986.

2) The DRC Constitution of the Third Republic stipulates in its article 14 that the state has the obligation to implement and enforce the law and to promote women's rights and their participation in the development of the nation, particularly by guaranteeing their rights to a significant representation in local and national institutions. The reality is very different in the life of a Congolese women; as proof, after recent elections of 2006, the overall representation of women is only 7.2% in senior positions in government and parliamentary institutions.

3) In spite of the agreements signed to put an end to the war and the promulgation of the new law in June 2006, which recognise rape and other forms of sexual abuses, as crimes, their continuous practice continues to devastate the lives of women. This is particularly so in the east of the country, where these atrocities are used as means of humiliation, terror and weapons of war. These acts often remain unpunished; thus destabilizing the future and safety of women.

4) The DRC Family Code promulgated in 1999, contains several clauses that are discriminatory and incompatible with CEDAW. Moreover although the Family Code gives the widow rights of inheritance, the reality is very different! Faced with the institutionalization of corruption, what can a widow in the DRC who is dispossessed do?

Such are the few examples of life for a woman in DRC.

Faced with these great challenges, we must rise; mobilize, in the spirit of solidarity to:
- Bring the DRC government to entrench the rule of law in the whole country

- Support morally and financially grassroots women's organizations for better results: health, human rights, literacy and general education for woman and young girls, fight against poverty by economic empowerment, fight against ignorance by information, instruction, and civic empowerment.

As we ask the following question: “How could a woman (demand) her rights if she is not even aware of them?” For this reason, we invite women throughout the world to support the fight of Congolese women as a sign of solidarity, because it is a noble cause!

For the full report in English please click HERE

For the full report in French please click HERE

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For more resources on women, peace, and security issues in the DRC, click HERE

STOP RAPING OUR GREATEST RESOURCE: POWER TO THE WOMEN AND GIRLS OF DRC
V Day and UNICEF, in collaboration with The Culture Project

V-Day's newest Campaign, Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource: Power to the Women and Girls of Democratic Republic of Congo. This new initiative is a joint two-year campaign between V-Day and UNICEF on behalf of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict. The campaign calls for an end to impunity for sexual violence, for measures to ensure that state armed forces and police do not perpetrate sexual violence against women and girls and for the full implementation of national laws that protect and empower women.

By joining this campaign, you will be supporting Congolese women and men who are demanding an end to rape. You will be supporting local efforts to demand justice and accountability. You will be supporting survivors of sexual violence to heal and rebuild their lives and communities. And you will join others around the globe to demand that women and girls in DRC are safe.

V-Day Founder Eve Ensler has chronicled her first-hand encounters with women in eastern DRC, where sexual violence has become a routine weapon of war.

“Before I went to the Congo, I'd spent the past 10 years working on V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls. I'd traveled to the rape mines of the world--places like Bosnia, Afghanistan and Haiti, where rape has been used as a tool of war. But nothing I ever experienced felt as ghastly, terrifying and complete as the sexual torture and attempted destruction of the female species here. The violence is a threat to all; young girls and village elders alike are at risk. It is not too strong to call this a femicide, to say that the future of the Congo's women is in serious jeopardy,” Ensler states.

Her account appears in Glamour magazine – to read it, click HERE

Within DRC, partners such Panzi Hospital, Coopi and HEAL Africa as well as survivors, women leaders and local activists, will document personal histories, run educational workshops, and spread the word about sexual violence via radio, comic books, theatre, song, leaflets, and a website. Local women's and survivors groups will be encouraged to participate and make their voices heard at all levels of government as well as the judiciary and the police.

V-Day will also highlight the women of Democratic Republic of Congo in its 2009 Spotlight campaign, spreading the word via thousands of annual V-Day benefits and activists. Previous V-Day Spotlight campaigns have focused on Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexico, and India.

Funds raised will support local groups that provide counseling, medical services and legal aid on the ground. A centerpiece will be the creation of City of Joy in Bukavu – a centre for survivors who have been left without family, community or the capacity to have children. City of Joy will give them a safe place to live while providing an education, leadership training and a chance to earn income.

To find out how you can help visit: http://www.vday.org/contents/drcongo

If you have questions or would like to offer us your comments, please email us at drcongo@vday.org

Campaign Partners:

V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues. In 2007, more than 3000 V-Day events took place in the U.S. and around the world. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $50 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 5000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict is a new initiative that brings together 12 UN entities, working collectively to end sexual violence in conflict and to respond to the needs of survivors. UN Action seeks to work with NGO partners and national governments towards these goals.

For more information, please click HERE

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For more Global & Regional Initiatives, click HERE

For more Country-specific Initiatives, click HERE

1325 in the Work of the Security Council: Resolutions & Reporting on the DRC

The Security Council in Resolution 1325 and in subsequent pronouncements has committed to integrating 1325 in its day-to-day work. One of the ways in which it can make this commitment meaningful is in its work on country-specific situations such as that of the Democratic Republic of Congo and in relation to the UN's peacekeeping mission there.

In article 5 of Resolution 1325, the Council “expresses its willingness to incorporate a gender perspective into peacekeeping operations, and urges the SG to ensure that, where appropriate, field operations include a gender component.” The resolutions by which the Council provides peacekeeping operations with their mandates are a good starting point in fulfilling this commitment. It is critical that these mandates provide a framework and platform for work within the mission on issues relating to women and gender – not only as “stand-alone” issues but also in relation to all the aspects of the mission's mandate. It is of course critical that the mission be provided with the capacity, expertise and resources to allow it to fulfill these aspects of its mandate. It is also important that the periodic reporting by the Secretary-General on these missions (and his reporting on the situation in the country) incorporates information on women, peace and security issues. In order for the Security Council effectively to respond to specific issues – such as wide-spread sexual and gender-based violence – it is essential that it receive information on such violence in these SG reports to the Council. It is the SG's reports upon which the Council generally assesses the security situation and upon which it makes decisions around, for example, the presence and role of peacekeeping missions.

Here we highlight the mandate of the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). We provide an overview of language on women and gender in its mandate over time. We focus in particular on its mandate in relation to sexual and gender-based violence and how that is reflected in the Secretary-General's periodic reports on the mission.

Overview of Women and Gender Language in SC Resolutions – the mandates of MONUC

The UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) was established in 1999 – prior to the adoption of Resolution 1325. Early resolutions on the DRC (1999-2001) have very little gender language. That which appears is focused on protection issues (see SCR 1332, 1341 and 1355).

The first significant language on women and gender appears in the renewal of MONUC's mandate in 2002 (SCR 1445). The language here is broad and general but specifically calls on MONUC to “pay special attention in carrying out its mandate to all aspects relating to gender perspectives, in accordance with resolution 1325.” In 2003 (SCR 1468, 1493) there is more specific language on the issue of sexual and gender-based violence. There is recognition and condemnation of the use of SGBV as a weapon of war and groups using such violence are named. Resolution 1468 reiterates, “that there will be no impunity for such acts [and] that the perpetrators will be held accountable.” In Resolution 1493, MONUC is encouraged to actively address the use of violence against women and girls as a tool of warfare and all parties, including the Government of the DRC, are urged “to take all necessary steps to prevent further violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, in particular those committed against civilians.” In this and later resolutions there are developments in language on the protection of civilians and human rights promotion and protection generally.

In late 2004 and early 2005 (SCR 1565, 1592, 1635) are seen the first reactions in Security Council language to allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by personnel in UN missions. This issue has come to be the most common reference to any gender issues and one on which there have been several developments in UN policy.

The mandate of May 2007 (SCR 1756) extends MONUC's mandate until 31 December 2007. In this resolution, the Council welcomes MONUC's policy to promote and protect the rights of women and to take into account gender considerations as set out in 1325 as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate and to keep the council informed. There is no specific reference to addressing sexual and gender-based violence other than the now standard paragraph on sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel. If, however, gender is taken seriously as a cross-cutting issue throughout, there are aspects of MONUC's mandate which would include work on SGBV more broadly. For example, MONUC's mandate includes assisting the Government of the DRC in establishing a stable security environment in the country including through ensuring the protection of civilians. It is also mandated to work with Congolese authorities and the UN country team and donors to support the strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law through, inter alia, assisting in the promotion and protection of human rights, with particular attention to women; investigating human rights violations with a view to ending impunity; and cooperating in efforts to bring to justice perpetrators of grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

Overview of Reporting on SGBV in SG Reports to the Security Council on DRC

There is little doubt that sexual and gender-based violence is a serious problem in the DRC and it has been reported on by several credible human rights and humanitarian organizations. In addition, MONUC has, over time, had a mandate to address sexual and gender-based violence. It is the case, however, that the SG's reports to the Security Council contain very limited references to this violence. In the most recent report (S/2007/156), MONUC's work on gender is mentioned in broad terms but there is no reference to specific action on SGBV. There is reference to sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel but, in relation to the far more prevalent incidents outside of this, there is one general reference in the section on Human Rights. Here it is noted that violence against civilians (mainly committed by security service personnel) continues and that this includes rape. The report also notes that despite the adoption of laws on sexual violence in 2006, “rape is widespread, including incidents of mass rape.” The preceding SG report (S/2006/759) had even more limited information on SGBV.

The reasons for this limited reporting on SGBV are not immediately clear – Is MONUC doing limited work on the issue? Is it because MONUC has limited capacity and resources to monitor and report on SGBV? Is there information on SGBV that is being excluded from reports? Why is this so? Whatever the reasons, the fact is that in SG reports, Security Council members are not being provided with a complete and accurate picture of the security situation and violence that affects the everyday lives of women and girls. It is also the case that MONUC and the DRC are examples of a more widespread problem in relation to monitoring and reporting on SGBV. The need for the development of information gathering tools and reporting mechanisms is clear. A first step is including specific responsibility in mission mandates. This is, however, clearly not enough and the Security Council needs also to ensure that there be accountability for meeting these mandates. Beyond this, it is worth revisiting the unanswered call made in 2005 to the Secretary General to make recommendations to the Security Council on “different means by which the Security Council could be more systematically informed of the use of gender-based violence by parties to armed conflict, paying special attention to the mechanism already developed to monitor and report to the Security Council on violations against children in armed conflict.”

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Further Resources:

For the PeaceWomen index, click HERE

For the UNIFEM Women, Peace and Security Web Portal for the DRC, click HERE

MONUC Gender Office
Extracts from the MONUC website: http://www.monuc.org/news.aspx?newsID=726

Mandate

The office in charge of gender seeks to integrate the gender dimension into the policies and programmes of MONUC as well as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Gender office was created in March 2002 following the recommendations of Resolution 1325 of the Security Council.

The resolution indicated the urgency to incorporate into peace keeping operations a gender dimension and to adopt a concerned action of equity between the sexes at the time of the negotiation and putting in place of the peace accords.

The Kinshasa office is composed of a team of nine people. In addition, a gender section was created in Bukavu in 2005 in order to cover the RDC and to understand the ‘gender' aspects specific to this region.

Finally to propagate the largest possible gender message, the office identified focal points (gender technical groups) in the substantial sections of the MONUC, for example in the soldiers and police force, in Kinshasa as well as the other sectors.

Furthermore, the members of the Gender office travel all over the country meeting the Congolese population to better determine the reality in each area.

Mission

- To raise awareness on sex specific questions within MONUC.

- To increase the participation of women and to sensitize them in relation to political life and the electoral process, the processes of peace and DDRRR, thanks to the systematic integration of a gender dimension in the policies and programs, in the training, collection and analysis of data related to sex.

- To evaluate the situation of women in the DRC, by the creation of information exchange networks.

- To integrate gender into the policies and programmes of MONUC, as well as those of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

- To establish relationships with womens groups in civil society and governmental institutions in order to encourage the effective participation of women in the peace process, the various stages of post-conflict rebuilding and the electoral process.

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PEACEWOMEN 1325 SECURITY COUNCIL MONITOR: RESOLUTION WATCH
Language on women and gender in Security Council Resolutions

This 1325 Security Council Monitor is a PeaceWomen Project initiative that seeks to monitor the Security Council's efforts to incorporate Resolution 1325 in its work. Resolution Watch is a compilation of language dealing with women and gender in the Council's resolutions addressing all current and upcoming peacekeeping operations since the adoption of Resolution 1325. The first part is language across 18 specific women, peace and security themes addressed in 1325. The second examines resolutions by country. It shows the thematic areas and countries in which incorporation of 1325's provisions has been slow or where language is weak; provides examples of the language the Council uses to address the issues; and highlights gaps and weaknesses. It is provided as a resource and advocacy tool for those working in particular women, peace and security focus areas or in relation to particular country situations. It will hopefully also provide incentive for the Council to accelerate its efforts.

The online version of this tool includes cross-referenced links from country resolutions to the themes with which the language deals; and links to the resolutions from which extracts are taken, the relevant articles of 1325, and a host of related thematic resources.

For the PDF and full on-line version of Resolution Watch, click HERE

For language on gender and women in Security Council resolutions on the Democratic Republic of Congo, click HERE

For language on sexual and gender-based violence in Security Council resolutions, click HERE

Ending Violence Against Women in Eastern Congo – Preparing Men to Advocate for Women's Rights
Women for Women International, Winter 2007

Over the past decade, a complex web of local, regional, and national conflict has devastated much of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is estimated that nearly four million people have died as a result of the conflict, which has been marked by gross human rights violations, often directly targeting women by using rape and other forms of sexual violence as weapons of war. As such, in response to horrific reports of rampant sexual violence from the international NGO community and Congolese women themselves, Women for Women International launched a multi-tiered program of direct aid and emotional support, rights awareness and leadership education, vocational skills training and income-generation support in the DRC in May 2004 to provide services to the socially excluded Congolese women who endured, witnessed and survived these atrocities.

After participating in the program and experiencing transformative changes in their own lives, 20 many of the women felt that, in reality, there was only so much that they could do—that in order to truly reshape the vastly unequal landscape of gender relations in eastern Congo, a different kind of effort was needed to address Congolese men's perceptions of and attitudes toward women, and the severe limitations that these perceptions and attitudes place on Congolese women's economic, social and political participation and empowerment. As a result, Women for Women international launched the Men's Leadership Program in eastern Congo in January 2005 with the aim of preparing them to leverage their community influence. to create trickle-down changes in attitudes at all levels and to engage men in intervention, prevention and reconciliation efforts.

For the full report, please click HERE

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Involving Men in the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), March 2007

This report is based on a discussion held in conjunction with GAPS and the High Commission for Canada on involving men in the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325. It focuses on how and why SCR 1325 is relevant to men, as well as broader efforts to build sustainable peace. It explores strategies to increase their engagement with work around SCR 1325 at the UK and international levels.

For the full report, please click HERE

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For NGO and civil society reports, papers and statements, UN and government reports, and books, journals and articles on women, peace and security issues, please click HERE

1325 Translation Update: Total number of available translations: 80

PeaceWomen has recently received a translation of Resolution 1325 in the Krio language of Sierra Leone.
Krio is a Creole language based on English and African languages that is the lingua franca in Sierra Leone's major cities and is spoken as a second language by about 4 million Sierra Leoneans of various ethnic groups.

The Krio translation was completed by Mr. Dennis Kabatto, a radio journalist, producer and news editor based in New York. For more information on the translator, please click HERE

Krio is among the languages identified as a priority for translation by women, peace and security advocates. Other languages currently on this priority list are:

Achehnese (Indonesia)

Acholi/Luo (Northern Uganda, W. Kenya, South Sudan)

Aymara (Bolivia, Peru)

Embera (Colombia)

Hmong (spoken in Laos, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, and Southern China)

Luganda (Uganda)

Malayalam (South Indian)

Mongolian

Oshiwambo (Namibia)

Paez (Colombia)

Pashto (Afghanistan)

Pidgin (Papua New Guinea)

Quechua (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Northern Chile, Argentina, Southern Colombia)

Romani (or Romany)

Sangho (Central African Republic)

Shilook (Sudan)

Wayu (Venezuela)

Wayunaiki (Colombia)

Xhosa (S. Africa)

Zande (Sudan)

Zulu (S. Africa)

1325 in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The 80 languages into which 1325 has been translated include 4 African languages spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These are:

Ciluba

Kikongo

Kiswahili

Lingala

The 4 translations were completed by the Ministry of Culture and the Arts of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

To view the Congolese translations and others featured on the Peacewomen website, please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/1325inTranslation/index.html

If you know of existing translations of 1325 which are not among the 80 on the PeaceWomen website, or would like to volunteer as a translator, suggest potential translators or add languages to the list for priority translation, please contact Milkah@peacewomen.org

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USING 1325 IN TRANSLATION

As part of its 1325 Translation Initiative, PeaceWomen is soliciting information on how translations of Resolution 1325 are being used and the impact of these translations on the work of women peace and security advocates.

We invite anyone who has used translations of 1325 for outreach, advocacy or other purposes, or who may know how translations of the resolution are being used, to provide us with information detailing among other things:

• Which particular translation(s) of 1325 you have used or know are being used

• Who carried out the translation (if known) or how the translation(s) was accessed

• The types of activities for which this translation(s) has been used (e.g. workshops, radio programs) and your views about the impact of such activities in promoting resolution 1325

• What you believe to be the importance of translating Resolution 1325 into local languages
Kindly contribute to the “Using 1325 in Translation” effort by responding to these questions or submitting any other information on translating UNSCR 1325 to info@peacewomen.org

To see how 1325 translations are being used please vist http://www.peacewomen.org/1325inTranslation/using_1325_translations/inde...

To view the 80 translations, please visit http://www.peacewomen.org/1325inTranslation/index.html

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For more information on the “using 1325 in translation” initiative, please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/1325inTranslation/using_1325_translations/inde...

Online Discussion: Women, political participation and decision-making in Africa
4 September to 14 October 2007, United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Economic Commission for Africa in cooperation with the E-Network of National Gender Equality Machineries in Africa

An online discussion will be running for six weeks from 4 September to 14 October 2007 in the hope of achieving a better understanding of women's political participation in Africa; collect measures taken at national and sub-regional levels to promote women's participation; identify good practices and lessons learned and highlight gaps and challenges requiring further action.

Registrations: To register, please visit http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/forum/forum-daw-politicalparticipation2....

Deadline: 31 August 2007 - Interested participants are encouraged to register before 31 August 2007. Once registered, you will receive an email with your username and password before the start of the online discussion.

If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact Mr. Rajkumar Cheney Krishnan on mailto:cheneykrishnan@un.org at the Division for the Advancement of Women.

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Ending Femicide in the DRC
V-Day and UNICEF, in collaboration with The Culture Project
September 17, 2007 , 7pm
The Culture Project, 55 Mercer Street (at Broome Street), NYC

Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource: Ending Femicide in the DRC is a one night only event to launch V-Day's newest Campaign, Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource: Power to the Women and Girls of Democratic Republic of Congo. This new initiative is a joint two-year campaign between V-Day and UNICEF on behalf of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict. The campaign calls for an end to impunity for sexual violence, for measures to ensure that state armed forces and police do not perpetrate sexual violence against women and girls and for the full implementation of national laws that protect and empower women.

Tickets $25: Pre purchased tickets are required for this event and can be purchased online at https://secure.ga4.org/01/drcultureproject.

Interested participants are encouraged to purchase early as this event is likely to sell out quickly. For more information on the event please visit http://www.vday.org/contents/vday/press/release/0708281%20

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LUMO, A PBS Radio Documentary on One Congolese Woman's Story
September 18, 2007, USA

PBS will be broadcasting the real-life story of Lumo Sinai, a 20 year old survivor of rape and fistula in the DRC, as part of their POV series. The agonies of present-day Africa are deeply etched on the bodies of women. In eastern Congo on the Rwanda border, vying militias, armies and bandits use rape as a weapon of terror. Lumo Sinai was just over 20 when marauding soldiers attacked her. A fistula, common among victims of violent rape, rendered her incontinent and threatens her ability to bear children. Rejected by her fiancé and cast aside by her family, she awaits reconstructive surgery. "Lumo" is her story, tragic for its cruelties but also inspiring for the struggle she wages and the dignity she displays, with the help of an extraordinary African hospital, to overcome shame, fear and the affliction that robs her of a normal life.

Broadcast Date: September 18, 2007 at 10PM (1 hour), please check your local listings for broadcasting in your area. For more information, please visit http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2007/lumo/preview.html

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Women Peacemakers Program –Call for applications
2005-2008, Non-violence Education and Training (NVET)

Nonviolence training provides Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with essential peace building skills and concepts. These skills and concepts focus on ways to increase social mobilization and countervailing power. Nonviolence training aims to empower marginalized groups so that they can assert their rights, create their own opportunities, and access resources.

WPP will support a minimum of 10 nonviolence trainings during 2005 - 2008, by providing financial support, links to trainers and resource people, and/or training materials.

For the list of criteria and the application form, please visit http://www.peacewomen.org/frame/calendar/Sept07/NVET.doc.

For further information please contact Cristina Reyna at c.reyna@ifor.org or + 31 (0)72 – 512 30 14

Deadlines: September 20, 2007 (for projects that will be conducted before December 31, 2007) and November 1, 2007 (for projects that will be conducted after January 1 but before July 1, 2008)

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Making Governance Gender Responsive (MGGR)
November 12-19, 2007,
Centre for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP), Institute for Gender, Governance & Leadership (CIGGL)
4227-4229 , Tomas Claudio Street, Baclaran, Parañaque City, Philippines

"Making Governance Gender Responsive (MGGR)" is a generic course that can be adapted and modified to suit the needs of the different countries in Asia-Pacific. The initial training module was developed by the Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP), with funding support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its Asia-Pacific Gender Equality Network (UNDP-APGEN) and the Regional Governance Programme for Asia and the Pacific (UNDP-PARAGON).

The training is intended for men and women involved in:

* Electoral politics (all levels: national, provincial, city/municipality)
* The bureaucracy (all levels: national, provincial, city/municipality)
* Political parties (officials and members)
* Training Institutes (government, private sectors and non - government)
* Development of governance policies, programs and projects.
* Working with NGO's, civil society groups interested in gender, governance and leadership.
* Women and men who are simply interested in the question of gender, governance and leadership.

Deadline for registration is 2 weeks prior to the training session. For more information and registration forms, please visit http://www.capwip.org/training/mggr.htm

Editorial:

We continue to welcome contributions to the newsletter's content. Contributions for the September 2007 edition, should be sent to enewssubmissions@peacewomen.org by Thursday 20 September 2007.