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New Gender Equality Project in Colombia

7 April 2016
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In 2016, WILPF Colombia launched a new gender equality project in Bogota. Photo credit: WILPF Colombia.

In 2016, WILPF Colombia (LIMPAL in Spanish) launched the project “Go Women! – For our rights in San Cristóbal” in the capital city of Bogota. The project was launched in cooperation with the local town council of the district of San Cristóbal, which is one of the 22 districts in the capital city that has high levels of poverty, violence against women, presence of forced displaced people and ex-combats from previous disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) processes. The aim of the project is to raise awareness on gender equality and help women survivors recover from the violence experienced from the on-going armed conflict.

The project includes a series of local activities, including training on women’s rights, public events, film screening and discussions on gender-sensitive topics, group discussions with men and boys on non-violent masculinities, a public fair of women entrepreneurs to promote their products, and other artistic and musical activities that promote women, peace and security.

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The project includes artistic and musical activities. Photo credit: WILPF Colombia.

The most important part of this project is how women are enjoying learning from the workshops on Gender, Development and Public Policy, which helps them to develop political awareness and empowerment for their rights. This activity evolves around three central themes: violence against women, political participation and peacebuilding, and each session begins with a preliminary work on self-confidence, self-help and self-expression through artistic ways.

Although the project brings the participation of the general public (men and women) through the commemoration of events in memory of the victims of gender-based violence, the most innovative part is the School of New Masculinities. This is the first time that WILPF/LIMPAL Colombia includes men and boys in its work in such strategically way. Through a series of debates with local groups of men and boys on how they experience their roles of masculinity and manhood, these activities generate a deep reflection on the need to commit to personal and collective transformation towards gender equality and the elimination of gender-based violence.

Through actions at local and national levels, WILPF/LIMPAL Colombia is contributing to the work of women’s empowerment for political participation in peacebuilding in three regions of Colombia: Bogotá, Bolivar and Meta, bringing men and boys, women and girls into dialogue for sustainable peace with a gender perspective.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.

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