ASIA PACIFIC: Addressing Impact of War on Women and Girls in Asia Pacific Region

Regional women's rights experts say there's not enough female involvement in conflict resolution, and peacekeeping.
At its inaugural meeting in Thailand this week, the Regional Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security discussed how to implement a UN security council resolution from 2000, calling for action to address the impact of war on women and girls.

Presenter: Nasya Bahfen
Speaker: Kamala Chandrakirana, National Commision on Violence Against Women, Indonesia
Listen: Windows Media

BAHFEN: The members of the group are women's rights activists from countries with a recent history of civil or other conflict. they include human rights experts from Sri Lanka, PNG, the Philippines, Nepal, Afghanistan and Solomon Islands. The group is tasked with analysing the region's military issues, and identifying how women can get more involved in conflict resolution. One of the group's members is Kamala Chandrakirana, founder of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, Indonesia.

CHANDRAKIRANA : Well the experiences so far in different societies where there are conflicts, women are often not included in peace making, peace negotiations and also in the planning of how to address the reconstruction process as well as addressing the root causes of the conflict.

BAHFEN : And yet in places where there has been conflict, women are often the people who bear the brunt of it.

CHANDRAKIRANA: Yes, usually when most of the battles are being carried out by men, women take over the responsibility of the livelihood of the family. The woman is also targetted being the wife or family member, by the enemy. So yes indeed they are bearing the brunt of the consequences of it and yet women are not included in the thinking, the planning and the decision making, about how to move forward to overcome the violence.

BAHFEN: And can you tell me a little bit about your own experiences? In Indonesia we've seen conflict in places like Maluku or places like Aceh - what has been the experience in peace building efforts in Indonesia?

CHANDRAKIRANA: In both contexts and in the contexts of other conflicts that have happened in my country women have never stayed quiet. They're always trying to find ways to fulfil the needs of themselves and their families but also to find ways in the name of their communities to overcome the violence. In many cases they also have to face not only the armed combatants or the military forces but they also have to deal with religious authorities who discourage women from taking leadership positions in spite of the fact that they are actually taking the responsibility of the livelihoods of their families as well as the community.

BAHFEN: At this UN meeting the expert group is actually advising different countries on women's participation in peace building. What are some of the strategies you're recommending?

CHANDRAKIRANA: Well we're just at the very beginning. This is our first meeting. It's an advisory group to a UN thematic group on women's rights. What we're doing at this moment is kind of doing stocktaking on where are women in the Asia-Pacific region, how have they tried to overcome the barriers and the limitations and obstacles that they've experienced in trying to deal with conflict, and how do we make this regional forum (as well as the regional UN mechanism) a place for women to increase their leverage?