16 days, 384 hours, 23040 minutes, 1382400 seconds to imagine peace
Imagine for a moment that every single woman on the African continent was guaranteed an absolute right to peace and that the mechanisms existed for her to enforce that right should it be violated. It's a quantum leap of the imagination from a situation where millions of women are vulnerable to armed conflict, where rape is routinely used as a weapon of war by armed groups, where women suffer disproportionately from the effects of poverty, HIV/AIDS, discriminatory gender practices and other forms of oppression.
Make no mistake, we're a long, long way away from a situation where the rights of women are considered to be set in stone. Recently the Security Council considered the first Secretary-General's report on the state of implementation of Resolution 1325, which concluded that “thus far, the international community has not been able to prevent acts of violence against women from occurring during armed conflict.” Amnesty International pointed out at the time: “We are currently witnessing horrific levels of gender-based violence committed with impunity against women and girls in many conflict-affected countries.”
So in such a seemingly hopeless situation why bother with the host of international protocols, treaties and the like? Aren't they just idealistic statements that are never meant to be achieved, rhetoric for the politicians to sign as evidence of their hard work? We all know that the real balance of international power mitigates against the lofty ideals they contain ever being achieved. Perhaps this is the realistic viewpoint and there is no point in getting over-excited about the remote possibility that one day all women - and by implication all men - might one day live in peace.
And yet it must be possible to make that leap, it must be possible to somehow close the gulf, the disconnect between the reality and the paperwork. The thing is it’s not even in the realm of imagination anymore: The Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa specifically guarantees women a right to peace. The Protocol goes further by guaranteeing the rights of refugees, by demanding that states reduce expenditure on guns and bombs, by calling for women to be present at the peace table and for states to introduce concrete measures to end violence against women. Once enough African countries ratify the protocol before the African Union, states will be obligated to enact legislation which gives voice to the rights outlined in the protocol. It is a long, long road, but it is possible to see a situation where those seemingly idealistic rights could be enforced.
What's the point of all this for the average citizen? Today is the start of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991. The dates November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day, were chosen in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including December 1, which is World AIDS Day.
The 16 Days Campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels; strengthening local work around violence against women; establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women; providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies; demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women; and creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women.
There's so much that can be done to close the gap between where we are and where we want to be. Find out what's happing in your area in relation to the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. Join in. Sign our petition calling for the ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa that will be presented to African heads of state at an African Union summit in January. Tell them its important. Pambazuka News will be carrying editorials to highlight key dates during the 16 days. This week we have an article to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and our lead editorial is about World Aids Day. Next week we will have more articles relevant to the 16 days. The week after we will have an editorial on Human Rights day. Read the editorials. We’ll also be carrying a special section for news about the 16 days. Send us your news.
And if you absolutely can't find it in yourself to do something - anything - to support the rights of women just sit back and imagine for a moment that every single woman on the African continent was guaranteed an absolute right to peace and what a difference that would make. Maybe that will move you to something.
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