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1. Gang Violence as Armed Conflict: A New Perspective on El Salvador

Author:
Anne Applebaum and Briana Mawby
Publication Date:
11-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
Gang violence is usually considered a criminal rather than a conflict issue. This limits the international community’s willingness to mitigate the violence or provide humanitarian aid. In a new GIWPS policy brief, Anna Applebaum and Briana Mawby argue that widespread gang violence, as found in El Salvador, should be considered a new form of armed conflict. The policy brief documents the impact of pervasive gang violence, which is increasingly similar to experiences of war—including high numbers of civilian casualties and significant migration flows. It also makes the case for a focus on gender to strengthen prevention of and responses to gang violence. As in more conventional conflicts, men often hold the most prominent roles in gangs and in the state response. But women frequently serve as care providers for gang members, and they are increasingly involved in tasks related to transporting weapons or drugs. Violence against women is also a specific tactic used by gangs for control over communities. Due to the high levels of gender-based violence, which gangs contribute to, women make up an increasing proportion of those fleeing. Once gang violence is understood as a security issue as well as a criminal phenomenon, it becomes clear that the WPS agenda is relevant.
Topic:
Women, Conflict, Violence, Peace, Gangs, and Gender
Political Geography:
Central America and El Salvador

2. Rebuilding Nepal: Women's Roles in Political Transition and Disaster Recovery

Author:
Briana Mawby and Anne Applebaum
Publication Date:
04-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
April 25, 2018 – Today marks three years since a massive earthquake and violent aftershock leveled Nepal, killing 9,000 people, injuring an additional 22,000 people, and affecting roughly one quarter of the country’s population. The earthquake struck while Nepal was attempting to implement a political transition and rebuild following the resolution of its ten-year civil war in 2006. Following both the earthquake and the conflict, Nepali women played a crucial yet underappreciated role in relief efforts, and many continue to help the country as it moves into long-term recovery initiatives. This study and video by Georgetown’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security explore how gender-based discrimination and legal barriers amplified the adverse impacts of the conflict and the earthquake on women. In spite of these challenges, the report illuminates how women and women’s organizations led relief efforts and met the needs of marginalized communities—including women—following the conflict and disaster. Their work helped to save lives, preserve communities, and rebuild livelihoods. Finally, the study details how Nepali women continue to advocate for policy and humanitarian changes that better address women’s needs and open opportunities for marginalized groups, ultimately helping communities become stronger and more resilient. “This report ties together two fields of study that are often seen as discrete, but are actually intertwined: post-conflict transitions and disaster risk reduction,” said Briana Mawby, who co-authored the research study. Of the 15 countries with the highest vulnerability to disasters, 14 are among the top 50 most fragile states. “Given the increasing effects of climate change, understanding the intersection of post-conflict recovery and disaster response will be even more important in the years to come,” added co-author Anna Applebaum.
Topic:
Natural Disasters, Women, Recovery, Transition, and Disaster Management
Political Geography:
South Asia and Nepal

3. Women’s Peacebuilding Strategies Amidst Conflict: Lessons from Myanmar and Ukraine

Author:
Roslyn Warren, Anne Applebaum, Holly Fuhrman, and Briana Mawby
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
In both Myanmar and Ukraine, broad-based and inclusive peace is still a work in progress. Amidst these challenges, women are developing effective strategies to participate in peace and security mechanisms and to advance women’s rights. Based on field interviews with civil society leaders and government officials in Myanmar and Ukraine and a review of the literature, this study examines how women are building peace amidst ongoing conflicts. The study finds that, in both countries, women use a variety of strategies to advance peace and security. While national plans and formal peace processes have had mixed results for women, alternative steps – notably including informal relationships and utilizing other international frameworks and norms – can be highly effective for advancing women’s interests. Several findings emerge that have broader relevance for policymakers and practitioners seeking to advance women’s rights amidst ongoing conflict: Women can leverage regional and international standards and norms to advocate for women’s rights and peace. This is evident in Myanmar, where women promote frameworks such as CEDAW, UNSCR 1325, and the Beijing Platform for Action. In Ukraine, women additionally promote standards in line with EU gender equality policies as a way for peace process stakeholders to improve their international reputation.
Topic:
Security, Women, Conflict, and Peacebuilding
Political Geography:
Europe, Ukraine, Southeast Asia, and Myanmar

4. Inclusive Justice: How Women Shape Transitional Justice in Tunisia and Colombia

Author:
Roslyn Warren, Anne Applebaum, Briana Mawby, Holly Fuhrman, Rebecca Turkington, and Mayesha Alam
Publication Date:
08-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
Most countries relapse into conflict within ten years of making peace. Building long-lasting peace requires recognizing and reconciling the deep-rooted causes of conflict and its impacts. Transitional justice can contribute to sustained peace through a set of processes and mechanisms that facilitate accountability and reconciliation after conflict or political change. Effectively addressing past wrongs to build sustainable peace means addressing the needs of all those involved. Women and men experience conflict differently – due to gender roles and social norms – and to succeed, transitional justice processes need to account for these differences. This study looks at how women shape transitional justice in Tunisia and Colombia – two very different contexts – and suggests why, and how, these cases provide valuable lessons for other nations undergoing political transition. Findings Both cases establish a high standard for women’s inclusion in transitional justice, described in “Inclusive Justice: How Women Shape Transitional Justice in Tunisia and Colombia.” Tunisian and Colombian women participated in official capacities early in each process. Female officials and women’s civil society organizations (CSOs) advocated for and gained formal recognition of specific harms that women faced under dictatorship in Tunisia and during civil war in Colombia. As a result, the definition of victimhood in Tunisia was expanded to include socio-economic harms (such as being barred from educational and employment opportunities); in Colombia, amnesty for the crime of sexual violence – prevalent in the decades-long conflict – was explicitly barred in the final peace agreement. In both cases, women’s leadership spurred inclusive mechanisms through which female victims could participate more fully in the process, and in greater numbers. Inclusive mechanisms can help to ensure lasting peace. The creation of specific structures, such as the Women’s Commission in Tunisia and the Gender Sub-Commission in Colombia, allowed more citizens to participate in the unfolding political transitions. This may both enable states to better address root causes of violence and confer legitimacy on their political agreements. In each case, women’s active and early participation as officials and in civil society helped make innovative and inclusive mechanisms possible.
Topic:
Women, Transitional Justice, Conflict, and Peace
Political Geography:
Colombia, South America, North Africa, and Tunisia