Ray Acheson, Maria Butler,and Sofia Tuvestad | Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
March 28, 2013

AWID spoke to Maya Alvarado, Executive Director of Unión Nacional de Mujeres Guatemaltecas (UNAMG) about the historic trial in which Guatemala's former dictator and chief of military intelligence are charged with genocide and crimes against humanity, the first such trial to take place in the Central American country.

Today, governments adopted the text of the first ever Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the United Nations in New York. The treaty, which prohibits the sale of arms if there is a risk that the weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law, is the first ever treaty that recognizes the link between gender-based violence and the international arms trade.

In a London boardroom today - on April 10 - a new era in the longstanding fight to stop gender violence in conflict will be ushered in. Eight Foreign Ministers from the wealthiest countries around the world, the G8, will discuss conflict-related sexual violence and - if all goes according to plan - will emerge with a clear set of commitments to help end the global scourge.

The Iraqi delegation has concluded that ‘militarism is not a solution to maintain peace and security'. Iraq has recommended a few points that include eliminating marginalisation of women, and implementing SRC 1325. There also needs to be a ‘genuine' partnership between women and men to build peace and security.

Women in Myanmar face barriers to living informed and healthy lives. Myanmar is plagued with a lack of education on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), HIV and gender based violence. Cultural taboos, language barriers and vast expanses of rural areas pose a great challenge in spreading vital information, especially to young women.

Amnesty International is deeply concerned and shocked at recent threats made against human rights defender, Nazlie Bala, in Kosovo. Nazlie Bala is a well-respected human rights activist who has contributed significantly to documenting human rights abuses before and after the1998-1999 war. She has also played a vital role in establishing institutional support for persons suffering from domestic violence.

“Muslim women can and should play a significant role in ensuring peace in their communities and countries around the world,” said Dr. Rosa Rai Djalal, President of the Muslim Women's Association, at a forum on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 20, 2013. “If women are not involved in the peace process, peace is unlikely to be sustainable.

PERSISTENT and exclusionary patterns of power are preventing women from participating in peace processes and in the rebuilding of societies after war. Despite a general acceptance of women's contribution being crucial for peace and reconciliation, women are still routinely excluded from both national and international decision-making bodies with responsibility of shaping the future of a post-conflict country.

Israel is home to one of the largest Eritrean communities in the world. However, they face discrimination and live in constant fear. One Eritrean woman has founded a centre to give them support.

An estimated 35,000 Eritreans live in Israel. Many survived a perilous 2000-kilometre desert journey across Sudan and Egypt to get to Israel.