Women and children are often caught in the r of crossfire between armed groups in times of armed conflict. Women are also at the forefront in restoring normalcy after such onflicts. And yet, women remain at the margins in the formal peace building processes to resolve the Mindanao conflict.
Globally, voices enabling women to have substantial participation in the peace processes and in creating gender fair institutions has become louder. The United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1325, for instance, recognizes the impact of armed conflicts on women and the undervalued contributions of women in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. It also emphasizes the equal and full participation of women as active agents of peace and security.
More often than not, we see women at the forefront of restoring normalcy and harmony, and in conflict prevention initiatives, “but seldom in the formal peace processes in Mindanao,” Prof. Rufa Cagoco-Guiam, a woman and peace advocate said. For the past few decades of peace negotiations between the government and the Moro fronts in their struggle for the right to self determination, and the National Democratic Front, only few women were involved in the formal peace processes.
All these issues were discussed in a forum on last March 10 held at the Holy Cross of Davao College in celebration of Women’s Month. Dubbed “Women and Peacebuilding: Pushing Past the Margins”, the forum highlighted the role of women in peacebuilding in conflict-affected countries in Asia such as Mindanao-Philippines, Southern Thailand and Sri Lanka and as well as discussed the challenges and conflict dynamics that continue to confront women.
Organized by the Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM) Inc. and the Holy Cross of Davao College, the forum presented and discussed the paper “Women and Peacebuilding: Notes from Some Conflict-affected Asian Countries” of Cagoco-Guiam, an AFRIM board member and Asian Public Intellectual Senior Fellow of the Nippon Foundation. The forum was participated in by women and peace advocates from nongovernment organizations, academe, peoples organizations, religious groups, youth and communities.
AFRIM is a Davao-based research and advocacy institution focusing on peace and development issues in Mindanao. It sees the annual celebration of Women’s Month as one mechanism to highlight achievements of women and discuss issues and concerns, challenges and commitment towards women empowerment and gender equality
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