In May 2003 Rwanda ratified a constitution that established a 30 percent quota for women’s participation in all “decision-making organs.” Quotas like this are of critical importance for increasing women’s representation in local government. The interpretation of those quotas, however, is equally important. This publication presents a review of the literature on women and local […]
Women in Iran are the driving force behind the country’s reform, as they establish a basis for transformation to democracy in spite of repression and discrimination. Women in government promote women’s rights by allocating funds for women’s empowerment, by working with civil society groups, and by organizing workshops and educational programs to spread awareness of […]
In 1994, in order to address apartheid-era human rights abuses, the country created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Two important goals of the TRC were to grant amnesty to perpetrators of human rights abuses who disclosed the atrocities they committed and to break the country’s cycle of violence. Women played vital roles in the […]
The end of fighting between the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) and the Indian government exposed divisions within the NSCN and among Naga factions. Although it seemed that the ceasefire could not be sustained, Naga women began taking advantage of their position as respected mothers, stepping in to stop inter-factional violence. The Naga Mothers’ […]
Around the globe, women play a vital but often unrecognized role in averting violence and resolving conflict. With expertise in grassroots activism, political leadership, investigative journalism, human rights law, military reform, formal and information negotiations, transitional justice, and post-conflict reconstruction, these women bring new approaches to the security sphere process. Sustainable peace, and therefore international […]
In October 2000, for the first time in its history, the UN Security Council acknowledged that women have a key role in promoting international stability by passing Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. It called on all parties to ensure women’s participation in peace processes, from the prevention of conflict to negotiations and postwar […]
Bosnian civil society groups have taken the lead in addressing needs not met by their state during its postwar reconstruction period. Women’s groups have spurred the creation of a war crimes court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and have filled gaps in the court’s reconciliation processes. They pressed the court to […]
Women have been victims and actors in Colombia’s cycles of violence and peace. In talks organized by President Andrés Pastrana in 1999, women represented both the government and FARC, the major guerrilla group. In 2000, 600 women participated in a women’s public forum that pressed FARC and government leaders to consider women’s concerns. In 2002, […]
Women are spearheading Cambodia’s transformation to democracy. During the years when the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia watched over the nation’s progress, women jumped at the chance to aid in reconstruction. They aimed to make the process of drafting a new constitution more inclusive, and they rallied to help ensure peaceful elections following violent campaign […]
Nearly 4,500 women, recognized as members of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), participated in El Salvador’s demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration (DDR) program following the 1992 ceasefire. Women contributed in a variety of ways to the program’s success. For example, women leaders from the FMLN ensured that women received the land they were granted […]
