Forum (Spotlight Weekly)

Roles of Single Women Groups in Peace Building Process

By LILY THAPA

In a war, there are no winners. There are only losers, resulting in loss of property, resources and precious human lives. The ongoing conflict in Nepal has influenced and damaged all aspects of the Nepalese population by disrupting their normal way of life. A large and increasing number of people have died or been displaced but still we do not have the actual statistics showing the true picture of how the people have been affected by the ongoing conflict in Nepal.

There are no acurate statistics on conflict-made single women (widows) and no systematic surveys or research of their demographic profile, lifestyle, basic needs, aspirations, coping strategies, legal situation, nor of their potential role in peace building process. It is absolutely true that women and children are the worst hit people in conflict.

According to a study carried out by Women for Human Rights Groups, single women group - an NGO working for the single women of Nepal - the ongoing conflict has increased the number of single women at a young age and many fatherless children below 10 years old. This preliminary study has found that the migration and displacement of single women and their children are increasing in municipal areas of regional districts, Most of the single women and their children are known to be used as forced labors in India and Nepal. A recent survey carried out in a public school of mid western regions has shown that students from conflict victim families have dropped out of schools and some of them are more prone to drug abuse, violence and are more likely to be victims of security personnel as well as Maoist actions.

Most of the single women are traumatized by the dual affects of losing a husband and feeling insecure due to the security personnel and Maoists’ torture. Children of insurgency victims are also traumatized and may learn the concepts of hate and intolerance, whose young minds might have been poisoned and grow up in vindictiveness and sometimes even more. As soon as a woman becomes single, it is not only the loss of the loved one which troubles her, but multidimensional issues like economic, social and physical effects torment her.

Conflicts in Nepal has created many single women who are left as sole supporters of children and other dependents, who have been ignored and continue to be tragic victims of violence in the conflict environments. But still their voices are not heard.

Poverty, homelessness, exposure to sexual violence and abuse from relatives further stigmatize single women who is already suffering from harmful traditional practices and economic exploitation. We must all be aware of the negative impacts that single women’s poverty has on their children, depriving them of all their fundamental rights. The continuing poverty cycle will most likely cause further conflicts in the future.

Most of the agencies, governments, donors and even UN agencies tend to view single women exclusively as vulnerable victims of conflicts and often use welfare approach to help them rather than see them as crucial economic and social players in reconstruction, as sole supporters of families and key contributors to conflict resolution and peace building. Because there are many examples of single women group moving together towards informal peace building at the local level, these groups should be given more recognition and support from all levels. These groups are empowered to form their own association, so that they can collectively articulate their needs and try their best to be fully integrated into the development of their communities at all level.

Single Women groups in districts are playing an active role in the peace movement whose work is met with tremendous support from the local level. The unique thing about these groups is that they include all categories of single women and band them together no matter whether they come from the families of security personnel or Maoist or of any political background, keeping in mind that they all have similar needs and interests. This allows them to be involved in many activities to empower as well as to make them agents of peacemakers in the community. The single women groups in the districts are active participants in opposing the conflict and working as a pressure group to stop the violations of single women’s human rights.

A definite social change, social reforms and collective actions are needed to be set immediately while keeping the present crisis in mind. Existing schemes of the government towards single women need to be redesigned to include empowerment mechanisms whereby single women have better controls over resources. The government has incorporated plans to address the issues of single women in the Tenth Plan. Financial security does not automatically empower a single woman, although finances are major factors. Other crucial factors that push her to disadvantaged position include ignorance, powerlessness and vulnerability. There are many cases of conflict-made single women being dependent on the mercy of family members though the compensation was rightfully hers. The most important thing is that she should be capable of handling her rights herself.

The social security for conflict victims should not be made available just to provide the services but to empower and mobilize self-reliant action in an enabling environment. The Indian model of social security schemes like workplace replacement scheme, giving dealership of petrol pump and gas agencies, free education to children up to graduate level and a major measure of giving free land to build their dwellings and employment guarantee and self employment programs, credit facilities should be examined for possible adoption in Nepal.

Though the conflict is taking place in traditional patriarchal societies like ours, even in peacetime, the situation of single women was bad. Oppressive traditional practices, economic deprivations, lack of social security measures and gender equities are some of the factors, which directly or indirectly have triggered conflicts in the society. Such problems can be solved when there is a social reform movement and the single women groups have already made beginnings in many districts.

Recently CEDAW highlighted the importance of ensuring the rights of the single women and single women of armed conflict. We should not forget them in peace building processes because they are the survivors of conflicts and are often abandoned or ostracized by their relatives who refuse to support them. They have the potential to play a crucial role in the development of peace, democracy and justice yet their basic needs and their valuable contributions are mostly ignored.

However there is much work to be done to build the capacity of these groups of single women and to educate the families, committees, governments, UN and the human rights organizations and other related organizations on the importance of protecting the human rights of single women and their children whether during peace time or in conflict.

(Thapa is the Chairperson of Women For Human Rights, Single Women Group)