It is only recently that the international community has begun to recognise that women, as survivors of violent conflict, also bear the burden of reconstruction in the transition period.

They are largely unseen and unacknowledged, instigators of peace. In the Pacific region, women have had a vital role in peacemaking although they have rarely been consulted or included in formal peace talks.

Feminist voices for peace are needed if women in every culture who struggle for liberation and social justice are to be supported.

Women’s Voices

Women’s voices are needed to identify and address the root causes of war; voices that promote the inseparability of ‘peace’ from justice, including economic justice; and voices that show that real security is possible when we weave a new global web of mutual aid and support. 

It is civilians, not soldiers, who suffer the largest number of casualties – and war, racism and poverty impact deeply on women.

When they act, it is not just to make a case for victimhood, but to offer a different vision of strength where the values of life and caring are defended.

It is necessary to analyse patriarchy which makes up those values, ideas and
beliefs that reinforces male dominance over women 

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