Global Digital Consultation: the nexus of unfinished conflict resolution and vulnerability to VE

As a women peacebuilder who has been part of  the global community in advocating women peace and security (Resolution 1325), my interaction with other women peacebuilders across continent always gives me strong impression to the strength they have and uniqueness of each work they done in confronting difficult works on peacebuidling. When i was offered to be one of moderator of Global Digital Consultation that engaged more than 300 women peace builders from Africa, Middle East, Asia Pacific, America, etc, to provide reflection on the situation of violent extremism and the current context on Covid 19. 

I was amazed with the rich data that shared during the first week of the consultation especially understanding countries like Yemen, Libya, Nigeria, Philippines and Malaysia etc, regarding spreading of extremist ideology and the response from state and non state actors. I am able to summarise the discussion and share here. 

Firstly, violent extremism can be manifested into different faces according to the context. In countries like Libya, Yemen, Nigeria and The Philippines,  clearly present the nexus between unresolved armed conflict and the vulnerability to violent extremism, especially when securitisation approach is dominant, causing casualties, GBV, lack of job opportunities, and huge distrust among people. Long term conflict, with lack of accountability and law enforcement, corruption, create a sense of helplessness, distrust, optimism and frozen resilience among people, that provide a fertile ground for violent extremism to foster. Especially, when extra-judicial killings, imprisonment without trial, torture, human right abuses, impunity, sexual violence and disrespect for the rule of law, this apparently breakdown of law and order that make government inability to deliver on the dividends of democracy enabling a situation where non state actors taking control the state sovereignty.

In country where physical war does not exist, like Indonesia and Malaysia, the growing of intolerance, resentment and distrust against non-Malays’-economy, rigidity in understanding religions, and hate speech against minority, can be fertiliser to radicalism. Intervention to tackle behaviour prior to radicalisation is strongly required. Critical thinking, belief on credible voices, strong democracy and law enforcement certainly will expand the growing of progressive groups to prevent the expansion of radical and extremist groups .

Secondly, religion plays important roles as pull factor of someone to transform personal ideology and motivation into violent extremist action. With the growing of intolerance in society, high acceptance on the populism that exploits religious symbol, and penetration of extremist sympathiser inside the government structure, definitely will provide an enabling environment to spread extremist ideology. Counter or alternative narratives and actions by moderate religious leaders to against radical and extremist group need to be supported and facilitated, so they can win online and offline.

In responding the attack against religious leaders who are not endorsing violent extremist ideology, or those who aggressively addressing counter narratives against “non sense narratives on the social media, the protection from the state is a must. It is not only state as duty bearer of human rights, but strong attitude from state will given strong political pressure to any force that support violent extremism.

As religion can be sources of peace, therefore the involvement of religious leaders and preachers in denouncing wrong teaching by extremist  and spreading more credible references that promote peace and tolerance, including addressing the important to support gender equality and women empowerment as strategic way to prevent VE.

Thirdly, lack of inclusion of women and girls in responding conflict and VE, create a lot fo vulnerability among women both as target of recruitment and victim of gender based violence. Gender lens should be able to understand the nature of violent extremism better,  where they are targeted women to win the battle. The civic space should be opening, to ensure that women and girls engaged actively in decision making opportunities, and their inclusion in peace structures would determine better solution. Since each experience of woman is unique, multiple facets, and different from conflict and post conflict situations, women should be understood as diverse entities, which each experience intersects with race, social class, gender, physical ability, refugee or not, level of understanding to religion, etc. Though women often portray as victim of VE, the agency of women have been proved effectively to increase level of acceptance among community to receive returnees back home.

Moreover, the whole society approach should integrate with gender mainstreaming to ensure that inclusion of women and girls in the process of peacebuilding, as well as strengthen the civic space to strengthen democracy.

Fourthly,  women peacebuilder play pivotal roles. They are the most trusted by communities to fill the existing gaps where social services were not distributed well or their voices are not heard by government, so women peacebuilder are often filled the gaps. This is a local social capital that is key to keeping communities strong and enabling fast responses to crises. However, this is often left out by governments. They need to be protected.

Lastly, the international community must ensure the support to women peacebuilders in responding multiple crisis. In the time of Covid 19, Women peacebuilders do not force to choose which crisis to respond to. Women peace builders often respond to multiple crises at once, and the current situation is no different.

In term of response, International agencies can push the state to take measurements without violation human rights, and trust women peacebuilders to be engaged in the process of decision making, to ensure the inclusion of women strongly reflect.

Peacebuilding and responding to COVID-19 cannot be separated because both are urgent. Women peace builders are taking an integrated approach, working on peacebuidling, mediation, and sensitisation to COVID-19 all at once

***