WOMEN, INK. BOOKLINK #72
October 2007
Angaíaefonu Bain-Vete & Joeyta Bose
2. Born of War 3. Broken Bodies, Broken
Dreams 4. Engendering Human
Security, Feminist Perspectives 5. From Where we Stand: 6. Afghan
Women Visit our website at
www.womenink.org
for further information and to buy any of the featured
titles. Women Building Peace: What They
Do, Why It Matters How and why do women's
contributions matter in peace and security processes? Why
should women's activities in this sphere be explored
separately from peacebuilding efforts in general? This
book offers a comprehensive, cross-regional analysis of
women's peacebuilding initiatives around the world with
particular emphasis on issues of conflict prevention,
peace negotiations, post-conflict disarmament,
demobilization and reintegration, governance and
transitional justice. It also traces the evolution of
international policies in this arena and highlights the
endemic problems that stunt progress. Anderliniís
astute analysis, based on extensive research and field
experience, demonstrates how gender sensitivity in
programming can be a catalytic component in the complex
task of building sustainable peace, and provides concrete
examples of how to draw on women's untapped
potential. Born of War Despite the international
humanitarian communityís interest in sexual
violence as a problem in conflict situations and the
protection of war-affected children, there has been no
recent research that assesses the needs and interests of
children born of war in different contexts. Further,
there is no significant body of knowledge by which to
establish best practices with respect to advocating for
and securing their human rights. This book attempts to
fill that gap by drawing together the perspectives of 25
scholars from 14 disciplines to provide a multi-faceted
view of the human rights of children born of wartime rape
and sexual slavery in conflict zones worldwide. By
detailing the impacts of armed conflict on these
childrenís survival, protection and membership
rights, as well as through moving case studies, the book
illustrates the tragic fact that these children are
particularly vulnerable in conflict zones and pose a very
pressing human security concern. Case studies also
highlight the different responses made by communities
towards these children. The book is framed within the
lens of advocacy, as contributors have conducted their
research with the goal of advocating for greater
consideration of this group of children in international
human rights discourse and practice. Broken Bodies, Broken Dreams It is estimated that one in every
three women around the world has been beaten, coerced
into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Too often
sanctified by custom and reinforced by institutions, this
worldwide pandemic transcends the bounds of geography,
race, culture, class and religion, and community. This
evocative and devastating volume of photographs,
individual case studies, quotes and illustrative text
offers a powerful testimony of the different types of
gender-based violence experienced by women and girls
worldwide throughout their lives. Based on the premise
that human rights are both universal and indivisible,
this book takes up the cry of researchers and activists
who have been working on this issue for decades by
insisting that violence against women be acknowledged and
confronted. Engendering Human Security,
Feminist Perspectives Engaging a feminist perspective to
examine human security in the context of globalization,
this volume of essays links culture with politics and
economics, and integrates an analysis of class, ethnicity
and other dimensions of gender identity. The emergence of
human security as an evolving concept represents a
collective search among policy makers, academics and
civil society organizations for the ability to comprehend
and respond to threats -to human life and dignity - that
are the result of the interplay between global and
national/local forces. While discourses about human
security have brought together issues such as human
dignity, rights and well-being, and have spanned various
disciplines (examples: security studies, economics of
human development, international relations, law etc.),
they have failed to incorporate gender issues in such a
seamless manner. Thus, a key thematic area concerns the
intersection between gender - as a domain of power - and
human security as a policy framework. In this regard,
contributors query the notion of human security from
three angles - the body, the domain of care and the
domain of political agency. From Where We Stand: War,
Women's Activism & Feminist Analysis Why do so many women organize
against militarism and war? And why, very often, do they
choose to do so in women-only groups? This original
study, the product of 80,000 miles of travel by the
author over a two-year period, examines women's activism
against wars as far apart as Sierra Leone, Colombia and
India. It shows women on different sides of conflicts in
the former Yugoslavia and Israel, refusing enmity and
co-operating for peace. It describes international
networks of women opposing US and Western European
militarism and the so-called 'war on terror' and its
accompanying racism. By exploring the development of an
antimilitarist feminism, Cockburn illustrates the ways in
which women have posed challenges to mainstream as well
as academic understandings of war and militarism,
nationalism, masculinity, imperialism, racism, classicism
and misogyny in a study that interweaves womenís
politics and the struggle for peace with activist
experience and up-to-date gender analysis. Afghan Women Through years of Taliban
oppression, during the US-led invasion and the current
insurgency, Afghani women have played a hugely symbolic
role. This book explores the actions and strategies that
women have taken to fight oppression and challenge
stereotypes in Afghanistan and in diasporas in Iran,
Pakistan, the UK and the United States. Looking at issues
from violence under the Taliban and the impact of 9/11 to
the role of NGOs, the plight of refugees and growth in
the opium economy, it goes behind the media hype to
present a vibrant and diverse picture of these women's
lives. Further, it issues a challenge to western
feminists who do not try to understand women in Muslim
majority societies and cultures and passively buy into
the idea of "saving Muslim and Afghan women." The future
of women's rights in Afghanistan, the book argues,
depends not only on overcoming local male domination, but
also on challenging imperial domination and blurring the
growing divide between the West and the Muslim world. ************************************************************************ RESOURCES Free resources on conflict and
peace processes available over the Internet: 1. New Translations of SCR
1325 2. Securing Equality,
Engendering Peace: A Guide to Policy and Planning on
Women, Peace and Security (UN SCR 1325) 3. Women and Conflict: An
Introductory Guide for Programming 4. Displacement, Gender &
Security - An Analysis 5. Gender Training for
Peacekeepers Orders made through
our website must be prepaid by credit card
(MasterCard/Visa/American Express/Discover). Orders
that are faxed, mailed or called into the Women,
Ink. office need to be paid by Visa or Mastercard
or by a check (if mailed). The check must be in US
dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank. We do not advise
e-mailing your credit card number for security
reasons, but you can fax it to us instead at
1.212.661.2704. SHIPPING AND
HANDLING: Rates - US$5.00 for the first book,
US$2.00 for each additional book. For catalogues,
book orders or other sale-related questions,
contact our Sales Manager Mary Wong
(marywong@womenink.org)
or call 1.212.687.8633 (ext. 204). For personal
assistance in selecting books, e-mail Program
Coordinator Alice Quinn at alicequinn@womenink.org
or Program Associate Joeyta Bose at
joey@womenink.org
or call 1.212.687.8633. Booklinks are made
possible by funding from the
Welcome to the Women, Ink.
Booklink, the monthly e-mail bulletin on what's new in
our collection in October. If you have friends or
colleagues whom you think would find Booklink useful,
please let us know. To subscribe to Booklink, send an
e-mail to joey@womenink.org
and type the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
OR CONCERNS, WRITE TO joey@womenink.orgSeven years ago in October
the United Nations passed Security Council Resolution
1325 on Women, Peace and Security and this month is
marked by advocacy and events around women, armed
conflict and peace processes. This month's Booklink
features an exciting array of titles and additional
resources about these issues. The new titles for the
month are:
1. Women Building
Peace: What They Do, Why It Matters
Protecting Children of Sexual Violence Survivors in
Conflict Zones
War, Women's Activism & Feminist
Analysis
Sanam Anderlini Naraghi
2007. 257 pages. ISBN: 978-1-58826-512-8. WE856.
$22.00
Protecting Children of Sexual Violence Survivors in
Conflict Zones
Edited by R. Charli Carpenter
2007. 243 pages. ISBN 978-1-56549-237-0. WE853.
$23.95
United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs & the Integrated Regional
Information Networks
2005. 250 pages. ISBN 9966-7108-0-9. WE843.
$30.00
Edited by Thanh-Dam Truong, Saskia Wieringa &
Amrita Chhachhi
2006. 326 pages. ISBN 1 84277 779 3. WE844.
$29.95
Cynthia Cockburn
2007. 285 pages. ISBN 978-1-84277-821-0. WE852.
$27.50
Elaheh Rostami-Povey
2007. 159 pages. ISBN 978-1-84277-856-2. WE854.
$26.95
Peacewomen
The text of UNSCR 1325 is available online in 79
languages and has recently been translated into Croatian,
Hindi and Krio. If you want to add a translation in any
other language,
write to info@peacewomen.org
Find out more at:
http://www.peacewomen.org/1325inTranslation/index.html
K. Valasek; K. Nelson
United Nations International Research and Training
Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW) This
practical guide aims to facilitate the creation of
policies and concrete action plans for womenís
participation in peace and security initiatives through
the provision of good practices, specific recommendations
and a six-step model process. It incorporates strategic
planning, participatory planning, and
gender/socio-economic analysis methodologies as well as
lessons from previous approaches used by regional
organisations and countries, in order to compile a
planning resource for governments, United Nations and
regional organisations as well as NGOs who are interested
in developing plans and policies on women, peace and
security issues.
Get the guide from:
http://www.un-instraw.org/en/docs/1325/1325-Guide-ENG.pdf
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
This guide describes the ways in which conflict and
fragility may increase gender inequities and suggests
programming approaches that address these issues while
building on the strengths of women. It focuses on the
particular roles, needs, and vulnerabilities of women in
conflict settings so that the most appropriate
interventions can be determined and initiated. Key issues
covered in this guide include: cultural context and
sensitivity; status and role of women in society; women
as agents of change and peacemakers; women as combatants
and participants in disarmament, demobilisation and
reintegration (DDR); and women's needs in conflict
situations.
Access this guide at:
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/conflict/publications/
docs/cmm_women_and_conflict_toolkit_december_2006.pdf
Ramina Johal
This analysis draws particular attention to the situation
of displaced women and girls, focusing on the application
of gender sensitive approaches as highlighted in UN
resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (2000). It
proposes that in order to address gender and
displacement, key challenges, such as the need for
greater synergy between the UNís work on
displacement and gender equality, must be met.
View the full report at: visit:
http://www.wunrn.com/news/2007/08_07/07_30_07/080807_displacement.htm
United Nations International Research and Training
Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW)
United Nations peacekeeping missions work in difficult
circumstances where challenges such as gender-based
violence, culturally specific gender roles and unequal
power relations between peacekeeping personnel and
civilian population have to be addressed adequately.
Working from the perspective that an effective way to
promote gender equality in peacekeeping missions is to
integrate a gender perspective into peacekeeping
training, UN-INSTRAW has devoted a section on its website
to a collection of capacity-building resources, guides,
manuals, courses and materials.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.un-instraw.org/jdata/en/gender-training-for-peace-keepers.html
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