Women, Peace and Security Initiatives: South Asia Region

Call for papers - PAKISTAN JOURNAL FOR WOMEN

Pakistan Journal for Women’s Studies: Alam-e-Niswan invites submissions for its 2009 Special Issue (vol. 16, no. 1, June 2009) on the theme of “Women Working Beyond Borders.”

This special issue solicits writings that explore the issue of trafficked women and migrant women workers and examine the various related themes with an international and comparative perspective.

While our empirical and theoretical focus is on trafficked and migrant women workers’ experience, we also encourage submissions that draw linkages between women and other social and economic identities.

For more information, please write to: pakistanwomenstudies@gmail.com
niswan_pk@hotmial.com

"WE CAN" Campaign on Violence Against Women
The six-year, six-country, South Asian Campaign to End All Violence against Women - or the 'WE CAN" campaign - aims to deal with violence women endure daily, both within their homes and in the larger society in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

It recognizes violence against women is rooted in gender inequality and that whether in homes or outside, it reflects the power structures in society which relegate the status of women to be only after that of men. Its starting point is, thus, to deal with conditions that systematically deny women their lives, health, rights, choices, and power in the family.

Violence against women affects every woman’s life in the region, even if she herself is not a victim. It is evident in every decision she makes - or does not - (within homes, social settings or workplace) be it the mode of dress, behavior or movement. And, in turn, it affects each one in society adversely.

Launched in 2004 and being taken forward by over 1,810 organizations in the six countries, ‘We Can’ has raised large scale public awareness on bias, inequality, and violence against women, particularly domestic violence, and is a trigger for a new consciousness, attitudinal change and enhancement of rights.

It is allowing millions of ordinary men and women find their own solutions to violence in their homes and lives, and find ways to reject it.

In its second phase now, ‘We Can’ is building social cohesion and networks. This will support and sustain the created change, foster an organized mass movement, and aid in transforming existing power relations in society to end all violence against women.

For more information, please visit www.wecanendvaw.org

THE SCHOLAR OF PEACE FELLOWSHIPS
Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) invites applications from South Asian professionals and scholars under the age of 45 for its Scholar of Peace Fellowships awarded for academic research, media and special projects. WISCOMP is a South Asian research and training initiative that seeks to promote an inclusive, gender sensitive discourse on issues related to peace and security in South Asia. The Scholar of Peace Fellowship programme encourages innovative, multi-disciplinary, theoretical engagement and research on issues that emerge at the intersection of the dicourses on gender, security and conflict transformation. The focus in on the projects that explore the interface between gender and these issues, within the terrain of peacebuilding and new and emergeing formulations of security. The fellowships cover a period ranging from three months to one year. The last date for receipt of applications is Sept. 15, 2004. Please download the application form from our website by clicking on the WISCOMP link or write to: WISCOMP Foundation for Universal Responsibility Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama Core 4A, UGF, India Habitat Centre
Lodhi Road, New Delhi- 110024, India Ph.: 91-11-24648450 (Ext. 112) Fax: 91-11-24648451
Email: info.wiscomp@furhhdl.org, wiscomp@vsnl.com

Trascending Conflict Workshop
June 2nd to 9th, 2003
45 young researchers, practitioners and students from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tibet and India participated on the II Conflict Transformation Workshop “Transcending Conflict” in New Delhi, India. The Workshop addressed six broad themes, such as, Conflict Analysis, Non-Violence and Conflict Transformation, religion, Violence and Peace, Multitrack Peace Building, Human Rights, Humanitarian Assitance and Conflict Transformation, Post-Conflict Peace Building and Experiments with Restorative Justice. To order the the full report of the Workshop Contact WISCOMP at wiscomp@vsnl.com. For more information visit Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace.

Women’s Initiative for Peace in Nagaland and Sri Lanka
January , 2001
Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) jointly with the National Peace Council from Sri Lanka, organized a workshop that brought together Naga Peace activists and social scientists and their Sri Lankan counterparts, to encourage peace-making skills through a programme of dialogues. This was the first of the series of dialogues. Women came together to share their experiences in waging peace in their conflict regions, discuss their contributions in furthering peace processes in situations of protracted conflict, and also to suggest ways for feminizing national security concerns. Also, they supported and encouraged the organization of more dialogues and workshops to help them initiate networks for peace in South Asia. For more information visit Women In Security, Conflict Management and Peace.

Regional Dialogue on Women Building Peace
June, 2001
The South Asia Forum organized a workshop on “Strengthening Women Building Peace in South Asia”. The focus was conflict situations in Sri Lanka, Jammu & Kashmir and North East India but within a regional framework that drew upon the resources of women activist scholars from New Delhi, Dhaka and Lahore. Among other tasks, the workshop committed to mainstreaming gender in the peace process and supporting the role of women's peace activism. In April 2002, a statellite workshop of Jamnu and Kashmir Women Making Peace demonstrated the women’s possibility to cut across regional differences, idendity and class by coming together to discuss their multiple perspectives on the conflict and affirm their common desire to build a just and undivided peace for all. A a result, they constituted a core group named of Daughters of Ladakh Kashmir and Jammu with the objective of mobilizing women for peace. To read articles by Rita Manchanda, Programme Executive of South Asia Forum please click here. For more information visit South Asia Forum for Human Rights.

Southeast Asian Workshop on Emergency Contraception
October, 2002
Recognizing the urgent need to address the political, structural and cultural barriers to mainstreaming Emergency Contraception in the region, the Pacific Institute organized the first ever Southeast Asian Workshop on Strategies to Promote Access to Emergency Contraception from October 24 to 26, 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand. Due in large part to the lack of access to reproductive health information and services in the region, Southeast Asia alone accounts for 40% of the more than 500,000 maternal deaths that occur each year worldwide. Among those attending were more than 30 non-governmental leaders, medical and health service professionals and policymakers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, East Timor, Thailand, India and Bangladesh. The purpose was to promote Emergency Contraception and women's sexual and reproductive health and rights. Click here for the Southeast Asian Manifesto. For more information visit the Pacific Institue for Women’s Health.