Women face specific and devastating forms of gender-based violence, including widespread sexual violence and land conflicts. Conflict resolution and peace building are still an exclusive, male-dominated affair and despite the fact that women have often been the most ardent advocates of peace, they have mostly remained on the side lines of formal peace talks and reconstruction processes.
Women’s exclusion from negotiating tables and the lack of gender expertise among mediators leads to a failure to address women’s concerns. In recent years, recognition has grown that women’s exclusion from peace processes not only contravenes their right to participate in decisions that affect their lives, but that for a sustainable peace to take hold, women must take an equal role in shaping it. Women’s perspectives and experiences are critical to stability and inclusive governance. GWEFODE’s approach is to support measures to end impunity for sexual and gender-based violence and land conflicts within and amongst families. It also addresses certain conflicts through application of conflict management approaches and procedures as well as institutional reforms to ensure that police and other security services respond to women’s safety needs in Uganda.
