Abstract for presentation at Global Social Work 2004

The past century has been marred by much violence and conflict. Women make more than half of those affected by conflict (Anderlini, 2000; Sørensen, 2000; Quintos-Deles, 1995). In most cases, women end up as victims being displaced and forced out of their homes due to ensuing exchange of fire between warring factions. In other cases, women become perpetrators of violence (Hague Appeal for Peace, 2001; Anderlini, 2000; Quintos-Deles, 1995) working with men as combatants inflicting mayhem on their enemies as well as on communities caught in the crossfire or are hired as workers in assembly lines of weapons production.
The irony about women’s role in peacemaking is that while they are most affected by war, their participation in existing peace processes has been marginal. The current discourse on women’s involvement peace efforts underscores the virtue of having substantial and meaningful participation of women in post-conflict reconstruction. This entails more than having the mere presence of women at the negotiation table. It involves bringing in a gender perspective into all the phases of the peace process and guaranteeing gender equality as an integral part of the peace agenda. Women’s participation in the peace process not only works to cease hostilities between warring forces but also creates the conditions for true and lasting peace (Zoll, 2000: Marshall, 2000; Chew, 1998; Quintos-Deles, 1995; Beijing Platform for Action, 1995).
In 2000, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Reaffirming the importance of bringing in a gender perspective to conflict resolution and peace building, the resolution sought to broaden women’s participation in the peace process and to support their efforts in fostering a culture of peace. Its focus is to address women’s poverty issues and to broaden women’s contribution to peacemaking.
This paper seeks to analyze UN Resolution 1325 providing for increased participation of women in peace processes in terms of the justice claims that it raises. Using Egalitarian and Feminist theories of justice, this paper explores the justice claims for ensuring significant and meaningful participation of women in peace processes.