The Role of Women in Conflict Situations

Today, the Brookings Institution held a panel discussion on what role women play in conflict and disaster situations. Nearly three months ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quoted saying "when we think about peacemaking, which is, after all, one of the critical tasks of any of us in international security, [...] there are not enough women at the table, not enough women's voices being heard." The struggle to include women in peace negotiations still stands.

The panel unanimously agreed that women play a huge role in conflict situations; whether it involves the importance of including more women in peace negotiations or the severity of gender based violence during conflict and how it affects women and communities. The best way to combat these offenses is to include women in all forms of conflict resolution.

As Ambassador Princeton Lyman said in a congressional hearing on Sudan, women and girls are most marginalized in society, and therefore suffer the most during conflict. The United Nations has declared that rape is a weapon of war. In many conflict-ridden societies, a raped woman, rather than her attacker, suffers the scorn of the community. This double standard is attributed to "a culture of impunity that surrounds sexual violence in conflict zones and allows rapists to walk without fear of punishment."  (In fact, if the rapist proposes to marry his victim, there is no punishment for his crime). Such a social stigma surrounds many conflict-ridden societies even to a point that the raped woman is expected to end her own life-or even killed by her own family members-to restore the honor of her family. In fact, in a study which examined female deaths in Alexandria, Egypt almost 50% of the females were murdered by their family members after being raped.

Enemy opposition knows the best way to destroy societies is to destroy family structures-and this can be done through rape and sexual violence. Carla Koppell of USAID spoke at the panel, mentioning the National Action Plan to implement commitments on women, peace and security. This plan, announced by Secretary Clinton last October, aims "to empower half the world's population as equal partners in preventing conflict and building peace in countries threatened and affected by war, violence and insecurity. Achieving this goal is critical to our national and global security." Koppell further explained the five pillars of the action plan include: national integration and institutionalization, participation in the peace process and decision making, protection from violence, conflict prevention, and access to relief and recovery. President Obama even signed an executive order directing this plan to be implemented, which showed a strong commitment to helping women worldwide.

As many scholars, such as Nicholas Kristof, have noted, it is no question that societies where half of the population is marginalized and barred from participation in society are the ones with the most violence, political turmoil, and economic instability. It is about time that the United States implement a National Action Plan aimed towards making women's empowerment and protection a priority in all aspects of foreign policy. Even though the hard work has just begun, this is a huge step in the right direction.