Women’s voices are vital for a functioning democracy and lasting peace
Women fought hard for their current rights in Europe. One could say, with blood, sweat and tears. In my article about women who made me who I am, I described the ordeals my mother and my teacher went through during and in the aftermath of the second world war. In the current bloody wars, there are thousands of women equally as courageous as my mother was.
According to the Georgetown Gender Journal, women and girls are disproportionally affected by war.
“Across the globe, women and girls are particularly vulnerable in times of war. During conflict, existing inequalities are magnified, infrastructure and social relations are broken down, and human rights are at risk. Due to a combination of factors, women bear the brunt of the secondary and lasting effects of war and conflict. Women are affected in many ways, including food insecurity, displacement, heightened human trafficking, and disrupted access to reproductive and health care.”
In the current Israel-Gaza conflict, there are a reported 30,000 fatalities, 70% are women and children and more than 3,000 women have been widowed.
The courage of women
For many centuries women have shown great courage in taking a stand against violence, militarism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, misogyny and racism of all kinds.
A Politico.eu article on International Women’s Day argued that the future of our planet depends on involving women at the highest level in action against climate change.
“They’re central to their communities and are the backbone of their families. They are the key decision-makers when it comes to food, fuel, child-rearing, land, household and resource management. They also, unfortunately, constitute the majority of the world’s poor, and are also among those most impacted by the double threat of climate change and loss of nature.”
Women can be the most effective underpinnings and agents of change, as they showed in the miners’ strikes in the 1980s and the peace movement in Northern Ireland. Remona Aly’s article in the Guardian argues for the need for women to be included in peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, as they were in the Good Friday agreement in Ireland.
Why then, is it so hard to make women’s voices for peace and democracy heard? Recent data shows that women represent only 16% of conflict party delegations. If women, who make up half the population, are not around the negotiating tables, then decisions are made that do not reflect the views of half the population, and democracy is impoverished as a result. We must change this, but where to begin?
Not represented equally in politics
We don’t have to go far for evidence that women’s voices are not represented equally in politics. In my country of birth, Hungary, less than 15% of seats in Parliament are occupied by women. According to Euronews, across the 27 EU member states, in 2021 an average of only 32.7% of parliamentary seats were occupied by women — so not even a third. We wrote about women in politics and the hurdles they face. If the influence of right-wing parties in the European elections increases, as polls predict, women’s rights will be adversely affected. Politico.eu warned in an article on Women’s Day:
“For women’s rights, the European Parliament election in June could be a watershed moment – and not in a good way.”
Global action by women for peace
Laura Kaun, policy and campaigns director of the European Women‘s Lobby argues that the threat to hard-won women’s rights is a concern for society and peace.
“If we want to materialise the European project of peace, democracy, inclusion, equality and solidarity, it’s time to fully realise that women’s rights are not only a women’s issue. Equality between women and men should be a concern for everyone and would be beneficial to European society as a whole.”
But at present, despite some progress, we are still living in a predominantly men’s world where the strength of women as peacemakers is not utilised. What can we do to bring about change?
As reported by Rev Susie Courtauld in her article for Women’s Day 2024 about the importance of women’s voices being heard, there are global women’s groups one can join to campaign for peace. For example, “The Black Sash movement founded in South Africa and the Women in Black network, jointly founded by Israeli and Palestinian women in 1988, are notable. Women in Black continues to work here and internationally, holding regular vigils in London calling for peace, justice and sustainable security in the Middle East, Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan and indeed wherever there is conflict. In Britain, the friendship organisation Nisa-Nashim, set up to bring together Jewish and Muslim women, has as its ambitious aim “to inspire and lead social change.”
Grassroots for Europe webinar on women’s role in democracy and peace
Grassroots for Europe, besides campaigning for the UK to return to its rightful place at the heart of Europe, coordinates and supports the work of grassroots pro-EU campaign groups. They hold webinars online with the objective of providing campaigners with information to enhance their activities. They are open and free to attend though voluntary donations to support their work are welcome.
For a webinar on 16 April, Grassroots for Europe has assembled a panel of inspirational women to tell us their stories and discuss what we can do together to mobilise pro-European support for women’s rights and agency in the cause of democracy, peace and progressive change.
The stellar panelists are:
● Gina Miller, active citizen, champion of parliamentary democracy, founder of the True and Fair Party.
● Helen Maguire BEM, community activist and fundraiser, retired army officer and peacekeeper, Liberal Democrat candidate.
● Julie Ward, former MEP (Labour), an activist with Another Europe is Possible and other causes.
● Jane Morrice, co-architect of the Good Friday Agreement, former MLA for Women’s Alliance and deputy speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly,
● Kati Systä, board member of Young European Federalists (JEF)
The event will be co-chaired by the Young European Movement’s head of events, Cecilia Jastrzembska.
If you want to join us, please register here.
After a brief talk by the speakers, we want to learn from the women panellists who have made a name by standing up for democracy and peace and ask:
● How do they see women’s place in democracy?
● How do they explain that women’s contributions are still often invisible and unrecorded?
● What is it about life today that makes it so hard for women to engage and be recognised, especially in the UK?
● In conclusion, how can we support each other and ensure women are heard and active in developing and sustaining democracy for peace?
