Women and post-conflict transformation

"Women and men experience conflict differently therefore their needs in the post-conflict phase and the problems they face will also be different. In the post-conflict phase when the parties to the conflict are engaged in formulating a reconstruction plan for Sri Lanka it is vital that these changes and their ensuing effects on women are taken into account and means are identified to deal with new forms of discrimination. It has to be recognised that post-conflict reconstruction processes influence the reconfiguration of gender identities and roles."

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(February 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) While peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE resulted in the appointment of a committee to "ensure the effective inclusion of gender issues in the peace process". This is indeed a welcome development which will hopefully lead to the mainstreaming gender issues in the peace process. The Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE need to recognise that women’s participation in peace negotiations can bring a practical understanding of the various challenges faced by the civilian population and practical and concrete ways of addressing them. Testimonies have shown that women articulate peace differently to men. As those who have dealt with the severe human consequences of conflict, women tend to discuss conflict in more human terms, and use common grounds to build trust between adversaries. Instead of concentrating on the abstracts, women focus on the "real" issues such as equality, human rights, justice, housing, education etc. Participation can also give women the opportunity to secure political gains related to the advancement of women’s rights and ensure that the constitutional and legal structures to be put in place by the accords are gender sensitive.

The formation of this committee is the result of continuous lobbying by human rights and women’s groups for increased space for the participation of civil society in general and women in particular. One hopes that the negotiators of all parties to the conflict will not consider that the appointment of this committee absolves them of responsibility to take an approach that incorporates a gender perspective. A factor that has to be kept in mind is that issues that affect women are not restricted to reproductive rights and violence against women, but extend to methods of power-sharing and demilitarisation. The recommendations and proposals of this committee on all issues that will affect women should be incorporated into the peace process.

Engendering the peace process

The appointment of the committee also highlights the lack of women’s participation in the main peace process. With the exception of Adele Balasingham women have been conspicuously absent from the peace process. It should be pointed out that the obstacles to women’s participation in the peace process/constitution making process are numerous. It could possibly be due to one or a combination of the following factors: a lack of women in decision making positions, masculine model of politics, i.e. political life is organised according to male norms and values and in some cases male life-styles, the lack of party support for women’s involvement, the traditional roles of women and the public/private distinction and the dual burden that women carry as homemakers and participants in public life.

Women are however one of the groups most vulnerable to the adverse effects of war. Many of the families in the conflict areas are headed by women, due to the loss of the husband, father, son or brother, who for the first time are in a position of the bread winner of the family. They receive no support from the state, and due to the conflict situation one would assume little support from the community. In addition they also have to face sexual harassment and health problems connected with reproductive health.

Any constitution making process and peace process should take into account issues such as accountability, impunity and post-conflict reconstruction. The constitution making processes of the past have been very legalistic and not taken social implications into consideration which will result in its relevance to the day-to-day life of people being minimal. As has been pointed out numerous times, the current peace/constitution making process has very little space for civil society participation. It is also important that the Constitution is accessible and relevant to ordinary people and there is a sense of ownership amongst people where the Constitution is concerned.

The need for gender sensitivity

Generally post-conflict reconstruction initiatives have been gender blind, which has resulted in gender not being mainstreamed into policies and action programmes. Instead, we have witnessed marginal, ad-hoc policies that have been ill-equipped to deal with the special needs and concerns of women in the post-conflict phase. The conflict in Sri Lanka has resulted in many socio-economic changes with women’s position in society changing in positive and negative ways. It has not only resulted in women increasingly becoming heads of households but has also created informal economies that rely on the exploitation of women - including the prostitution industry in the border areas. Sri Lanka has not paid attention to these slow, subtle changes, which in some cases have created new inter- ethnic, inter-gender and inter-class dynamics and relationships. It is important that post-conflict initiatives understand and respond to these dynamics.

Women and men experience conflict differently therefore their needs in the post-conflict phase and the problems they face will also be different. In the post-conflict phase when the parties to the conflict are engaged in formulating a reconstruction plan for Sri Lanka it is vital that these changes and their ensuing effects on women are taken into account and means are identified to deal with new forms of discrimination. It has to be recognised that post-conflict reconstruction processes influence the reconfiguration of gender identities and roles. As women tend to be excluded from the peace process and the preceding post-conflict transformation discussion, it is important to ascertain and publicise women’s concerns and expectations of reconstruction policies. Many women have gained agency as a result of the conflict, which should be recognised and fostered. At the same time there are also many factors that may reduce their participation in the reconstruction process. It is therefore imperative that we assess how women’s actions shape the reconstruction process.

Economic issues

The conflict has also changed the economic status of thousands of women. There are those who have been widowed and have become the heads of households. Many have for the first time in their lives turned into income earners by becoming part of the informal industry that has expanded with the conflict. The existence of female combatants with non-traditional skills who may not be able to sustain themselves economically and therefore maybe forced into submissive and discriminatory relationships due to economic and social insecurity should also be recognised.

When formulating policies both parties have to acknowledge certain factors. Women have multiple identities and a particular identity may be more oppressive and prominent than another at a particular instance. Women experience power relationships in complex and multiple ways and often obtain some benefit from their exploiter, which is the primary reason for their dependence. Any programme or policy should therefore be context specific and should include support mechanisms which will enable women to break away from exploitative relationship cycles.

It is therefore important to recognise the specificity of women’s needs and experiences and incorporate them into the reconstruction process. Policies should encourage women to participate in the decision-making process that affects their lives and influence policy reform. Both parties should move away from viewing women as victims to including them as active participants in the rebuilding process.