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DECEMBER 22-23, 2001 - CONFERENCE ROOM |
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ABSTRACT GENDER AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN SOUTH ASIA MEENAKSHI GOPINATH AND SUMONA DASGUPTA* Few issues strike a more intense chord in any society as a woman's place in it. There appears to be a positive correlation between women's
active participation in all spheres of life and the social and economic development of the family, community and the state. In other words evidence seems to suggest that where women have been denied an opportunity
to participate in decision- making, their families and communities are poorer for it and this is reflected in the lower indices of social and economic development of those communities and states. While the
role of women in enriching public life is being increasingly recognized, it remains an abiding irony of social and political life that the denial of myriad opportunities to women is rooted in the basic governing
principle of society itself – namely the system of patriarchy. Structurally, patriarchy is characterized by the sharp dichotomy between the private and the public spheres of life- a dichotomy which is often used to
foreclose the possibility of a woman's participation in the public sphere. Therefore any demand for women to be empowered would have to be based on the recognition that it is the acceptance of the roles assigned to them
that make inequities possible at every level. Those who make a case for a greater role for women specially in conflict resolution and peace-building do so using arguments that range from the biological to the cultural
– from the notion that women are "inherently" more peaceful than men to the one that attributes this quality of women to their process of socialization. Whatever be the case, it remains a significant possibility
that women's relational and contextually defined experience could yield alternative perspectives on conflict resolution and peace. For instance the linkage of justice with peace, is a contribution of the women's peace
movement. Is the notion of development and social justice therefore more intrinsically linked with the notion of conflict resolution in the minds of women? Are women more concerned with sustainable peace and issues of
survival? Do women bring any unique skills to the process of conflict resolution and if so what? Many of these variables inform the work of Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) – an NGO
committed to carving out a meaningful space for women in conflict resolution. Using the available empirical evidence of women's experiences of conflict across South Asia as a backdrop, this paper will focus specifically
on the experiences of WISCOMP in trying to understand some of the issues faced by women caught in the crossfire of violent conflict. By examining the lessons learnt from some of WISCOMP's projects in areas of conflict
such as Nagaland, Kashmir and Sri Lanka, an attempt will be made to understand the opportunities and challenges faced by women engaged in conflict resolution.
* Dr. Meenakshi Goopinath is Honorary Director, Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP), New Delhi, India and Dr. Sumona Das Gupta is Senior Program Officer, WISCOMP
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