ANALYSIS: Renee Black: Why are Women in War Still Ignored by the Media?
When mainstream media failed to cover a week of events at the United Nations in October marking the 10-year anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which aimed to give women a stronger voice in preventing and ending conflict, one thing became clear: 10 years later, women's contributions to peace remain sidelined.
Resolution 1325 aims to highlight the impact of war on women, calls for women's participation in decision-making processes, and shines a spotlight on the important contributions women have made to conflict prevention, resolution, and recovery. The anniversary week featured statements from secretary general Ban Ki-moon, U.S. secretary of state Hilary Clinton, and the UN Security Council, as well as policy announcements by countries such as Canada and a weeklong civil society-led peace conference, all of which should have attracted attention.
Yet no mainstream media outlets covered these events or the anniversary week in any significant way. This is unfortunate as there is unlikely to be another occasion in the coming years when women's contributions to conflict situations are more in focus or better positioned to challenge simplistic portrayals of women in conflict as victims.
Yet some have chosen to tackle this challenge head-on by using their crafts to make 1325 accessible to policy makers and the public alike. An example is award-winning filmmakers Gini Reticker and Abigail Disney, whose film Pray the Devil Back to Hell screened last week during the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver. This documentary recounts how ordinary Liberian women from all parts of society came together to help end both the Liberian civil war and the reign of Charles Taylor, known most famously for his role in the blood diamond trade.
Led by Leymah Gbowee, the women's movement used nonviolent protest, convinced leaders on both sides of the war to attend peace talks, and took peace negotiations “hostage” after six weeks of stagnation until both parties committed to reaching an agreement. They also played a critical role in the election of Africa's first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Gbowee says, “In the past we were silent, but after being killed, raped, dehumanized, and infected with diseases, and watching our children and families destroyed, war taught us that the future lies in saying NO to violence and YES to peace!”
The Voice Project is another example of people using their talents to empower and amplify women's contributions to peace building. Featuring musicians around the world who come together over the Internet for a cross-cultural musical exchange, they support women who themselves use music to convince combatants to return from the bush and reintegrate into society. Many of combatants were abducted as children by the Lord's Resistance Army and forced to commit atrocities against their families and communities so that they would be rejected if they tried to return.
Engaging people's skills and talents to spread the message on complex policy issues can hold enormous potential. The movie Blood Diamond, for example, helped people understand both how the blood diamond trade helped fuel the war in Sierra Leone and why regulation was needed to monitor the flow of such conflict resources. Music is also often used to connect people with issues such as poverty, corruption, war, power, and unity, yet very few songs talk about the power of women.
This gap was highlighted by Ambassador Paul Seger of the mission of Switzerland to the UN, who used his address at an art exhibit at the UN, entitled “No Women, No Peace”, to call for initiatives to bring these messages and stories into the mainstream. The exhibit displayed cards with the photos and stories of 1,000 women who have contributed to peace initiatives around the world, and Seger challenged attendees to overcome lack of awareness, suggesting that a song was needed that could become as well known as the Bob Marley song in the same vein.
Learning of this informal challenge, Vancouver musician Michael Dewey wrote a song called “Let the Women Inside” on the need for women at peace tables, and enlisted Gina Hetland and Iain House to record it. He knew little about the topic before the challenge, but says, “Once the idea was raised, I realized that these are obvious truths that need to be exposed and promoted, not just abroad but also at home. We all need to be engaged, but it takes someone planting the idea.” Dewey's song was used to close the peace conference in New York and was shared with nongovernmental organizations and Ambassador Seger. He also offered to record a music score for an upcoming NGO film production.
The exciting news for advocates is that such stories are not uncommon. Men and women from all walks of life, including social workers, marketing professionals, doctors, programmers, lawyers, stay-at-home parents, actors, and recreational therapists are increasingly expressing their interest in using their skills, ideas, and resources to raise the profile of these initiatives and support conflict-affected women in transforming their societies from within. An important challenge remains that many would-be volunteers do not know exactly how to engage on these issues. Yet unleashing this power holds enormous potential for raising awareness and support for women's contributions in conflict situations, as well as for community and collective action more broadly. As Disney says of her film, “My hope is that viewers will take away the message that making a difference can begin little by little, but each movement toward a better way of life can swell above what was thought to be possible.”
Renee Black is a local entrepreneur and policy analyst who has worked on Resolution 1325 implementation for several years. She will be working with local NGO startup United Girls of the World, which aims to engage women and girls on critical issues affecting girls around the world.