The Centre researches and documents the critical yet often-neglected experiences of women in situations of armed conflict globally. Since 1996, we have provided data and information on women, peace and security, highlighting human rights violations against women and women’s human rights defenders.
We acknowledge that women are knowers and not merely sources of data. As such we listen to women’s voices to gain access to and amplify their insights, voices and experiences.
Isis-WICCE research has been conducted in 27 countries including 15 countries in Africa (Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Somaliland, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Southern Sudan) and 12 countries in Asia, Latin America and the Balkans (Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, El Salvador, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri-Lanka, Yugoslavia and Nepal)
The feminist leadership institute is a safe space for women to galvanize their feminism while enhancing their leadership capacities to effectively participate in peace building and conflict resolution. We build the capacity of women as change agents in peace building and post-conflict recovery through leadership training, cross-cultural exchanges, research and ‘giving back to the community’ initiatives.
The institute addresses the deficit of women’s leadership in armed and post-conflict settings, by building a vanguard of women leaders with skills and knowledge to respond to conflict dynamics, sexual and gender-based violence as well as challenging structures that undermine women’s rights.
Since 1984, the institute has reached over 1500 women leaders from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans. Through educative cross-cultural exchanges, training seminars, solidarity visits and think tanks, a multiplicity of feminists, leaders and change agents share knowledge, critique existing policies, leadership and structures to design and apply approaches for social change.
Women leaders have exchanged ideas, learnt from each other, and adopted cross-cultural strategies and solidarity actions to address a wide range of women’s issues while giving back to their communities. Institute alumnae have conducted research to conduct evidence-based advocacy to influence policies, programmes and action in response to women’s identified concerns.
Some of the alumnae’s efforts as part of the institute include hosting war victims’ burials for community healing and closure; conducting medical camps to address sexual and reproductive health issues; trauma counseling; supporting local livelihood enhancement efforts; creating community based organisations to effect local peace building activities, conducting policy advocacy and creating unique tools such as videos, as aids.
The institute works towards building and contributing to a global movement of women peace activists.
Since 1984 institute has reached over 1,800 women leaders from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans , building a vanguard of skilled and knowledgeable women leaders contributing to a global movement of women peace activists. Through educative cross-cultural exchanges, training seminars, solidarity visits and think tanks, a multiplicity of feminists, leaders and change agents share knowledge; conduct research; critique existing policies, leadership and structures.
Through communication and knowledge management, The Centre, formerly Isis-WICCE seeks to inform and influence global discourse on gender, peace and security, serving as a vital resource hub and reference point for policy makers, activists, academia, civil society, ordinary women and men to effect gender-responsive social change.
We prioritise sharing information and communicating directly to decision-makers as well as a diverse set of individuals shaping women’s lives at local, national, regional and international levels.
Through this, The Centre contributes to building an informed wave of world leaders who respect gender diversity and uphold women’s rights.
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1.0 Background Women’s International Peace Centre formerly Isis-Women’s International Cross Cultural Exchange (Isis–WICCE) is a feminist organization with a mission to ignite women’s leadership, through amplifying women’s voices and deepening their activism to (re)create peace. The Peace Centre, through the Building Sustainable Peace: Women, Peace and Security programme, seeks to strengthen young women’s capacity to participate in and influence peace processes and their outcomes from a gender perspective in South Sudan. This will support young women’s advocacy efforts and creating of new spaces for women to engage key decision makers at national, regional and international levels to influence peace and security policy discourse and action in South Sudan from a gender perspective.
The Revitalised Agreement for the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan by providing the 35% quota for their political participation (article 1.4.4) affirms research findings that peace is more sustainable when women are included in peace processes, in high-level decision-making and political governance. The National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and Related Resolutions (2015-2020) implemented under the leadership of Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare also reflects government’s commitment to uplift the status of women and their role in building sustainable peace. Ministry of Gender has taken great strides to coordinate all actors and ensure a gender lens is used across all peace and security interventions. Women leaders and civil society actors have also played important parts in ensuring that women take leadership in building peace and national development.
2.0 The Assignment The Peace Centre seeks a consultant to conduct a mapping of key actors and processes related to ongoing and planned interventions to build sustainable peace in South Sudan at national level. The mapping document will inform the advocacy efforts of targeted young women seeking to participate in in peace processes, in high-level decision-making and political governance. The mapping document that would provide them with information on key stakeholder, spaces and processes as well as potential partnership opportunities.
3.0 Methodology The consultant(s) is expected to propose a methodology that is suitable for the task. Additional information can be provided upon request
4.0 Required Skills and Experience:
Experience in advocacy on gender-responsive peace building in South Sudan
Knowledge of the issues related to women, peace and security in South Sudan
Excellent analytical, synthesis and writing skills
Working knowledge of English and French.
5.0 Application Requirements: Applicants can submit the following as individual consultants or groups of consultants. Application document stating proposed method of work along with a CV, proposed budget and schedule.
6.0 Application Process Expression of Interest including technical and financial proposals can be submitted as soft copy by email to procurement@wipc.org by Tuesday 15th March 2021. Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted. Applications should be addressed to: The Executive Director, Women’s International Peace Centre Plot 1, Martyrs Garden B, Ministers Village, Ntinda, Kampala P. O. Box 4934, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 414-54395
The Peace Centre held a series of meetings with Women Peace Mediators from refugee and host communities meet each month to discuss peace and security concerns they have identified and develop an issues report for action by the respective District Peace Committees in Yumbe, Adjumani and Kotido. This was between 5th and 11th February where the Peace Centre joined 108 women peace mediators as they discussed their experiences, their progress in resolving conflicts, representing women and their priorities which require redress.
The mediators were joined by 90 Conflict Analysts and Conflict Monitors in the three districts who received and reviewed the reports to the District Peace Committees. The women peace builders discussed key issues likely to cause conflict in the refugees settlements including inadequate land for cultivation since the food ratio has reduced and low water supply during the dry season. The mediators also expressed concern that some water points were not operational, they highlighted insufficient supply insufficient supply of drugs in specific health centers and cases of conflict between the host and refugee communities over resources like firewood and grass especially with stray animals destroying crops. Increased teenage pregnancies since the COVID-19 outbreak remains an important issue to which the peace mediators are seeking immediate solutions.
The meeting is part of wider efforts led by the Peace Centre with support of UN Women to institutionalize gender sensitive conflict early warning and early response system in conflict-affected Adjumani, Yumbe and Kotido districts. This has been carried out as a series of training in mediation and conflict resolution in 2019 and 2020.Women leaders including refugee women and women affected by cross-border conflicts benefited from the initiative. Since then, they have taken lead in peace building within their communities and ensuring that district peace committees address women’s peace and security concerns.
The Women’s International Peace Centre (The Peace Centre) and International Rescue Committee (IRC) conducted a case management training for 14 participants from IRC and the Peace Centre. The five-day training which was held from 25th to 29th January 2021 was to enable participants to handle gender-based violence cases amongst urban refugees in Kampala.
This is in line with the Peace Centre and the IRC partnership on a project to reimagine, support, and reshape nationally driven and locally-led protection systems. The project titled, Scale-Up: Catalyzing Systems to Keep Refugees and Host Communities Safe from Violence (Safety and Power) will rapidly map and analyze how gender-based violence and child protection humanitarian interventions in the urban context, should link up to and be integrated into existing social protection, social welfare, child protection, and justice law and order sector systems. It will also feature engagement of the Centre’s alumni as some have been refugees themselves.
The training was facilitated by the IRC team who took participants through a couple of modules on GBV case management which included; understanding power and GBV and the theoretical foundation for a survivor-centered approach context, and causes of GBV among many others.
Women’s International Peace Centre, formerly Isis-WICCE, is a feminist organization with a mission is to ignite women’s leadership, amplify their voices and deepen their impact in recreating peace. The Peace Centre works in Africa, Asia, at regional and global level with women war survivors, women human rights defenders, and women’s rights organizations to amplify women’s voices and advocate for policies and programs tackling the impact of conflict on women and communities using our WEAVE model.
Our WEAVE model intersects research (on women’s specific experiences and needs), evidence-based advocacy (to influence national, regional and international policy and practice), holistic healing (to enable women’s wellbeing and participation in peace processes), skills and movement building (to equip WHRDs with necessary skills, build networks and facilitate exchange of strategies to advance women’s leadership for peace.
To address the gap of low participation of women in decision making in the informal and formal peace building and post-conflict recovery processes in Uganda, The Peace Centre designed a project, “Promoting Women’s Effective Participation in Peace Building in Uganda” that is being implemented in Yumbe, Adjumani and Kotido from June 2019 to March 2021. Project strategies included; Capacity building, conflict early warning and early response, providing platforms for strategic engagements, community awareness and accountability sessions.
2.0 Video Documentary
The Peace Centre seeks to document through a video documentary the impact of the project including its contributions to women’s increased participation in peace building. The video will include the key results, good practices, lessons learnt and highlight stories of change in Yumbe, Adjumani and Kotido.
The Peace Centre invites Videographers to express their interest to create a short video documentary and submit a brief technical and financial proposal outlining your approach and associated costs.
The documentary will be used to profile and share the work and impact of the Peace Centre as well as the targeted women peace builders by capturing what the project was about, how it has engaged with various communities and the impact as a result.
Geographic Coverage: Yumbe, Adjumani, Kampala and Kotido districts.
Objectives
Document unique experiences and strategies used in implementing the project.
Document the change process and benefits accrued by the project participants
3.0 Eligibility Criteria;
Individuals and Registered company/agency may apply.
● Extensive experience in filmmaking/videography and photography
● Evidence of similar high quality work for non-governmental organizations
● Experience working in West Nile and Karamoja.
● Time Management
4.0 Application Requirements:
The Expression of Interest should include:
● Technical and financial proposal outlining the proposed approach and cost.
● Curriculum Vitae/Portfolio with links to work samples
5.0 Application Process
Expression of Interest can be submitted as soft copy by email to procurement@wipc.org by Monday 8th February 2021. Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted.
Applications should be addressed to:
The Executive Director,
Women’s International Peace Centre
Plot 1, Martyrs Garden B, Ministers Village, Ntinda, Kampala
The Peace Centre in partnership with Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAP) and the Women Peace and Security Centre of the London School of Economics (LSE) studied the intersection between environmental conflict, peace and gender. This was to provide recommendations for the international community for how it can better ensure that women and girls’ human rights can be delivered despite the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change.
The research; conducted in Yumbe and Adjumani(Uganda), targeted refugee women and women in host communities. It was carried out to enable the International Community to better understand the context-specific and global gender, peace, and security impacts of COVID-19 and develop policy and programming responses was launched in a virtual event hosted by The London School of economics.
Hannah Bond, Director of Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), and Bineta Diop the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace, and Security, joined Our executive director Kezie Helen Nwoha in the launch to introduce the report on- Defending the Future:Gender, Conflict and Environmental Peace.
The research which is by the Women’s International Peace Centre in partnership with GAPS, and the LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security focuses on the gendered impact of climate change and how this intersects with women and girls’ right to peace. This research report highlights that there is a growing recognition of the need for the Women, Peace, and Security agenda to take into account how the climate crisis poses risks to women and girls’ peace and security, particularly in conflict and post-conflict contexts.
The research also shares expert insight on the need to account for the risks posed by climate change to women, girls and peace and security and can be reached here.
In preparation for the 2021 presidential election, the Peace Centre conducted fourteen(14) election observer training in different districts in Uganda which were concluded on a final training held from 9th– 13th January 2021 in Kampala. The Peace Centre recruited a total of 540 election observers selected from sub-counties in Arua, Kassanda and Kapelebyong in addition to other districts of Soroti, Lira, Amuria, Kampala, Sembabule, Luwero, Ntugamo, Rukungiri, Yumbe, Kotido and Adjumani.
The training was successful in ensuring that each district had 40 trained election observers with election observation materials deployed to observe elections from 14th to January to 22nd January.
Election observation is a valuable tool for improving the quality of elections and creates confidence in elections that can help promote sound democratic practices. This is vital as Uganda has not experienced peaceful, violent free democratic electoral processes since the introduction of multi-party politics in 1988. The political environment in the build-up to, during, and after elections has over the years become increasingly charged with reports of harassment, intimidation, acts of corruption, human rights abuses perpetrated by different political opponents.
To ensure a difference this year, the election observers were trained on Electoral Commission election observation guidelines, laws related to election observation, do’s and don’ts of an election observer, and provided tools for data collection. This enabled them to monitor elections and document electoral violence incidences in the eleven districts.
Women’s International Peace Centre (The Peace Centre) works in conflict and post conflict countries, providing ground breaking approaches to the issue of conflict and post conflict reconstruction and what it means to be at peace with oneself, one’s community and country. Over the years, The Peace Centre has emerged as a leader in the feminist discourse for peace and security, using national and international frameworks such as the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325), National Action Plans on 1325 (NAP), the Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16 and other women, peace and security frameworks.
Women’s participation in decision-making in peace building and post-conflict recovery processes (e.g. disarmament and reintegration, security sector reform, economic recovery programmes, humanitarian response, legal, judicial and electoral processes) in Uganda is markedly low, particularly at local level. The women, peace and security (WPS) agenda in Uganda has a strong legal and policy basis reflected in diverse frameworks however, there is need for citizen’s participation in defining and responding to peace building and conflict transformation priorities along with an emphasis on addressing the specific needs of women.
To address the presented gap, The Peace Centre designed a project on “Promoting women’s effective participation in peace building in Uganda” that run from June 2019 to March 2021. The project sought to contribute to an increase in women’s participation in decision-making processes (formal and informal) to promote peace in Uganda.
During the timeline of project implementation, women’s capacity to promote peace building and engage in decision-making has been strengthened through trainings that have equipped them with mediation, leadership and peace building skills within refugee and host communities. The project has also established/strengthened capacity of peace building structures such as CEWERU and district local government structures to mainstream gender perspectives with effective peace building mechanisms to promote the rights of women and girls. More so the project has availed women a platform to engage with duty bearers at national, district and community level to air out their concerns for redress and commitment to action.
1.1 Project goal
To contribute to an increase in women’s participation in decision-making processes through strengthening peace building mechanisms (formal and informal) to promote peace in Uganda.
1.2 Project objectives
To have more commitments on women, peace and security implemented by GoU and the UN, and more gender equality advocates influence peace and security processes
To strengthen capacity of more institutions of the justice and security sectors to mainstream gender perspectives and promote the rights of women and girls in conflict, post conflict and other crisis situations.
To increase women representation and leadership in formal and informal peace processes and negotiations.
THE END OF PROGRAMME EVALUATION
The Evaluation is intended to; assess the effectiveness of the project; track the changes that have emerged as a result of the project implementation; and generate new lessons to inform The Peace Centre’s programming in the area of work being evaluated.
On the overall, the evaluation is expected to look at coherence between the project design, delivery mechanisms and its performance.
Objectives of the Evaluation
This evaluation seeks to:
Assess the effectiveness, appropriateness and relevancy of the project interventions in the given context of the project.
Assess the project implementation approach for efficiency (How efficient was the project? Was the method of delivery the most appropriate and efficient?).
Assess the extent to which the anticipated overall objectives and project results were achieved in quantitative and qualitative terms.
Identify and document lessons learned and good practices; areas of improvement and recommendations to mitigate identified challenges for future programming (Identify key lessons, stories of change and examples of good practice).
Propose future areas of intervention for continuation of the project (with practical recommendations for follow-up action).
Assess sustainability of the project (assess the probability of continued long-term benefits. How successful has the project been at linking rights holders to longer term development programmes and if not, how can this be successfully achieved).
2.2 Scope of the Evaluation
The evaluation will focus on the results and indicators as stipulated in the project documents between The Peace Centre and UN Women.
2.3 Approach and Methodology
The Consultant(s) is expected to employ both qualitative and quantitative methods but can also propose additional methods for undertaking the assignment to achieve the evaluation objectives. The methodology is expected to cover, but not be limited, to the following aspects:
Establishing the basis for substantiating outputs and outcomes by, among others, carrying out a systematic desk review of all relevant documents (proposals, agreements, work plans, budgets and reports)
Determining a strategy to ascertain results achieved by the peace-building project through its work with women.
Determining a strategy to ascertain results achieved by the project (document review, interviews and observation among others.)
Specifying the stakeholders to be consulted and the data collection methods to be used to respond to the different evaluation questions
The evaluation will majorly be conducted in Adjumani, Yumbe and Kotido while observing the Ministry of Health Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs). Interface with staff of The Peace Centre who have been directly involved in the project implementation will be critical.
3.0 KEY DELIVERABLES
An Inception Report detailing the agreed methodology, work plan, interview questionnaires and the proposed Table of Content (TOC) of the evaluation report to be presented to the Project Management Team not later than 4 working days after signing the contract.
A draft evaluation report, of not more than 30 pages, including an Executive Summary (2 – 3 pages), but excluding annexes. The report should adequately respond to the objectives of the assignment, providing evidence-based conclusions and prioritized recommendations.
A meeting with the Peace Centre team to discuss preliminary findings, observations and recommendations.
A power-point presentation of preliminary observations, conclusions and recommendations to be discussed with the Peace Centre team to be held at least three working days before the final report is due.
A final analytical evaluation report on the performance, achievements, challenges and lessons learnt from the project and insights for future programming.
4.0 EVALUATION TEAM QUALIFICATIONS
The evaluation will be conducted by consultants who will have substantive knowledge of peace building, gender analysis and governance programing.
Evaluation team members will be part of a Consulting Firm/ Consortium (‘the Consultant’) with clearly demonstrated expertise and experience in conducting evaluations and impact assessments using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods in the field of peace building and democratic governance.
Critical thinking and analysis.
Time Management.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND VALUES FOR THE EVALUATION
It’s important that Bidders highlight measurements to which the evaluation will meet ethical standards, feasibility, relevancy and accuracy, as well as propose other quality performance measures that will be refined during the inception phase if found to be necessary.
6.0 TIME SCHEDULE
The duration of the assignment is 20 working days including all the preparation and field related work, as well as writing of the inception report, presentation of preliminary findings and submission of the final report. The assignment is estimated to be undertaken from 9th February 2021 to 5thMarch 2021.
7.0 APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS
The Consultant to carry out the evaluation will be selected according to the “Open Tendering” method, following the procedures, templates and instructions of The Peace Centre’s “Standard Request for Proposals for Consultancy Services”.
Applicants will be required to submit a Technical and Financial proposal. Proposals will be evaluated using the principle of Quality and Cost Based Selection, with a weight of 80% given to the Technical Proposal and a weight of 20% given to the Financial Proposal.
Applications should be submitted via email toprocurement@wipc.org or delivered to Women’s International Peace Centre, Plot 1 Martyr’s Garden B, Minister’s Village, Ntinda, Kampala. The closing date for receiving both the Technical and Financial proposals is 22nd January 2021 at 5:00pm.
Women’s International Peace Centre, formerly Isis-WICCE, is a feminist organization founded in 1974 and based in Kampala, Uganda. Our mission is to ignite women’s leadership, amplify their voices and deepen their impact in recreating peace. Our WEAVE model intersects research (on women’s specific experiences and needs), evidence-based advocacy (to influence national, regional and international policy and practice), holistic healing (to enable women’s wellbeing and participation in peace processes), skills and movement building (to equip WHRDs with necessary skills, build networks and facilitate exchange of strategies to advance women’s leadership for peace.
The Peace Centre works in Africa, Asia, at regional and global level with women war survivors, women human rights defenders, and women’s rights organizations to amplify women’s voices and advocate for policies and programmes tackling the impact of conflict on women and communities using our WEAVE model. The Peace Centre’s current strategic plan (2019-2022) focuses on amplifying the voices and agency of women and women’s rights organisations to build and sustain inclusive peace and security in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, South Sudan and Uganda
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Finance Manager will assume a leadership role of ensuring real-time financial data and reports to enable internal decision- making processes, timely reporting of project funds as well as accountability for the funds disbursed to staff, ensuring compliance to the appropriate principles and procedures, and regulatory compliance in order to improve the overall financial aspect of the organization.
They will;
Lead the financial planning process; (Financial strategies and (Financial strategies and fore casting, budgeting for The Peace Centre undertakings (annual, new initiatives, strategic plans, departmental)
Lead the process of updating the Financial Policies and Procedures Manual.
Manage the effective application and adherence of The Peace Centre financial policy, procedures and controls in all departments and at all levels.
Continuously review, evaluate and develop the internal financial systems to maintain full financial integrity of the organization
Payroll management (employee pay records and benefits)
Preparation of budgets and funding requests.
Ensure effective undertaking of the accounting function in The Peace Centre.
Control and monitor budgetary utilization by the various programmes and sections and advise the Executive Director and management team on performance trends.
Monitor budget performance against actual on periodical basis and advise the Executive Director accordingly.
Plan and prepare for the Auditing function in The Peace Centre. Ensure responses to audit queries, adaptation and implementation of audit recommendations, especially in regard to systems strengthening. Prepare periodical financial reports to facilitate management, Donors and Board decisions.
Monitor income realization against targets and ensure that manageable funding gaps within the available resources are bridged.
Keep the Executive Director regularly informed of the current financial situation of The Peace Centre.
Ensure The Peace Centre compliance to tax laws, financial regulations and procedures to which she is obliged.
Education and Experience:
Masters in Accounting, Business Administration (Finance), Commerce, Statistics or associated discipline from a reputable institution;
Professional Qualification in ACCA/CPA
Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Business Administration (Finance), Commerce, Statistics or associated discipline from a reputable institution;
A minimum of ten years’ experience in an NGO, regional or international experience is an advantage.
Experience in QuickBooks accounting package is an added advantage.
Proven strategic planning experience at the management level
Demonstrated interpersonal, creative and critical thinking skills
Able to work on multiple projects simultaneously
Strong communication and presentation skills
High level of financial discipline and integrity
Attention to detail and accuracy
Ability to meet deadlines with minimum supervision;
To apply, submit a motivation letter and CV demonstrating your suitability by 23rd December 2020 to applications@wipc.org.
Women’s International Peace Centre, formerly Isis-WICCE, is a feminist organization founded in 1974 and based in Kampala, Uganda. Our mission is to ignite women’s leadership, amplify their voices and deepen their impact in recreating peace. Our WEAVE model intersects research (on women’s specific experiences and needs), evidence-based advocacy (to influence national, regional and international policy and practice), holistic healing (to enable women’s wellbeing and participation in peace processes), skills and movement building (to equip WHRDs with necessary skills, build networks and facilitate exchange of strategies to advance women’s leadership for peace.
The Peace Centre works in Africa, Asia, at regional and global level with women war survivors, women human rights defenders, and women’s rights organizations to amplify women’s voices and advocate for policies and programmes tackling the impact of conflict on women and communities using our WEAVE model. The Peace Centre’s current strategic plan (2019-2022) focuses on amplifying the voices and agency of women and women’s rights organisations to build and sustain inclusive peace and security in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, South Sudan and Uganda
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Executive Director, and the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, the Programme Coordinator (for Burundi, DRC and South Sudan) will manage the implementation of the Peace Centre’s programmes at country level, facilitating linkages with regional and global advocacy and networking.
The Programme Coordinator in each country, will lead project development, management and administration; provide technical assistance, policy advice and support; and facilitate diverse partnerships and mutual capacity strengthening at country level.
They will
Lead implementation of the project within the country of focus in liaison with the Program Manager Develop detailed activity work plans, and manage the implementation of project activities to ensure proper and timely execution to the required standards and guidelines of the organization.
Handle day-to-day management of the programme in country, including effective programme implementation, documenting progress and managing the programme budgets in line with Peace Centre policies.
Manage country-level short-term consultants and provide guidance on substantive and operational issues, to ensure timely achievement of quality outputs.
Manage the Advocacy support desk and provide ongoing support on advocacy to national partners; linking to regional actors and processes; strengthening national capacity for regional advocacy, gender mainstreaming, and influencing on inclusive peace and security priorities
With the support of the Programme Manager, develop training manuals and provide training on regional advocacy, and lobby, on accountability and leadership, on gender and inclusive peace and security, gender transformative programming among other identified needs
Maintain and grow partnerships with key stakeholders at national, regional and global level. Ensure ongoing coordination of programme implementation with partners and other stakeholders including ensuring their involvement to support inclusive and transparent processes
In liaison with the Programme Manager participate in and contribute to monthly, quarterly and other scheduled program planning, progress and performance review exercises.
Participate actively in documentation of success stories, lessons learnt during program implementation and blog writing for information sharing
Prepare monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, annual and final program narrative reports Contribute to the development of the organization’s annual fundraising plan and proposal writing to support program activities
Carry out all procurement and financial accountability in line with The Centre’s guidelines/policies.
Perform any other duty assigned from time to time.
Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree in any of the following areas Peace and Conflict Studies, Gender, Development Studies, Political Science, Social Sciences or any other related fields. A Postgraduate degree will be an added advantage.
Five years of relevant work experience in peace building and conflict management and previous experience working with national and local governments, women’s groups, regional networks.
Diverse knowledge and experience in results-based programme management, monitoring and reporting.
Demonstrated knowledge of peace building and experience in advocacy or influence on the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to work as a team player in a multi-disciplinary team with minimum supervision.
To apply, submit a motivation letter and CV demonstrating your suitability by 23rd December 2020 to applications@wipc.org
Women’s International Peace Centre, formerly Isis-WICCE, is a feminist organization founded in 1974 and based in Kampala, Uganda. Our mission is to ignite women’s leadership, amplify their voices and deepen their impact in recreating peace. Our WEAVE model intersects research (on women’s specific experiences and needs), evidence-based advocacy (to influence national, regional and international policy and practice), holistic healing (to enable women’s wellbeing and participation in peace processes), skills and movement building (to equip WHRDs with necessary skills, build networks and facilitate exchange of strategies to advance women’s leadership for peace.
The Peace Centre works in Africa, Asia, at regional and global level with women war survivors, women human rights defenders, and women’s rights organizations to amplify women’s voices and advocate for policies and programmes tackling the impact of conflict on women and communities using our WEAVE model. The Peace Centre’s current strategic plan (2019-2022) focuses on amplifying the voices and agency of women and women’s rights organisations to build and sustain inclusive peace and security in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, South Sudan and Uganda
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Deputy Executive Director, the Programme Manager will work closely with Programme Officers in Burundi, DRC, South Sudan and Uganda to manage the implementation of all the Peace Centre’s programmes.
The Programme Manager will provide strategic direction and leadership in the area of inclusive peace and security; ensure programme development, management, administration and staff development in countries of focus, at regional and global levels. They will
1. Programme Management – Financial, Administrative and Human Resources:
Lead the staff and short-term consultants on substantive and operational issues, to ensure optimal use of financial and human resources to achieve desired results in line with performance standards.
Handle day-to-day management of the programme, including effective programme implementation, documenting progress and managing the programme budgets in line with Peace Centre policies. Ensure delivery of results and resources in time according to set targets.
Undertake the preparation of work plans, narrative and financial reports based on internal and donor guidelines. Ensure compliance with internal and donor requirements
Create an environment for staff development, a culture of results and on-going learning.
Provide strategic advice and direction in addition to developing the strategy documents required for programme planning, implementation and policy
Establish and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders at national, regional and global level.
Ensure proper coordination of programme implementation with partners and other stakeholders including ensuring their involvement to support inclusive and transparent processes
Oversee monitoring and evaluation and ensure on-going documentation and application of Lessons learnt, success stories and best practices.
Education and Experience:
Master’s Degree in social sciences, Human Rights, Gender or Women’s Studies, International Development, Peace and Security or a related field is required
Minimum of 8 years of programme management experience in the field of gender equality, peace and security, development.
Proven experience in managing diverse teams and in results-based management
Demonstrable knowledge of country contexts, regional dynamics and the women, peace and security agenda.
Strong analytical writing and communications skills in English and French.
High level of integrity
To apply, submit a motivation letter and CV demonstrating your suitability by 23rd December 2020 to applications@wipc.org.
The Uganda Women’s Network host of the Women’s Situation Room (WSR) in Uganda in 2021; and the Women’s International Peace Centre, the Secretariat of the WSR launched the 2021 WSR. The Women’s Situation Room is a process that mobilizes women and youth to ensure their active participation in promoting peaceful electoral processes.
The process promotes women’s leadership in conflict resolution and peace building in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. The WSR is an early warning and rapid response mechanism to election related conflict and violence in African countries. First implemented by the Angie Brooks International Centre (ABIC) during the Presidential and Legislative Elections in Liberia in 2011, the WSR was adopted as a Best Practice by the Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) of the African Union, and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia was designated as the Champion for the WSR.
The WSR is a tested mechanism that has been implemented in other African countries including Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda in 2016. The mechanism is a non-partisan platform that focuses on providing early response to election related violence incidents. The WSR works directly with the Electoral Commission and national security organs responsible for security in elections. It also engages with political party leaders, human rights commissions and civil society organizations to ensure peace before, during and after elections.
The 2021 Uganda Women’s Situation Room is set out to work in thirty (30) districts including; Gulu, Amuru, Kitgum, Koboko, Arua, Lamwo, Nwoya, Kampala, Wakiso, Masaka, Luwero, Mityana, Sembabule, Kassanda, Serere, Iganga, Jinja, Mbale, Katakwi, Bugiri, Soroti, Hoima, Mbarara, Isingiro, Kasese, Ntungamo, Kabale, Rukungiri, Kanungu and Rubanda.
The key activities of the 2021 WSR include mobilization and engagement of women and youth to promote peaceful elections through an early warning and rapid response system to election related conflict and violence. The WSR will also train 3,000 women and youth in election observation to report potential and incidences of election related conflict and violence. The Women’s Situation Room process works with a team of Eminent Women who are experienced, respected and non-partisan from different backgrounds.
The WSR in 2021 will have a team of 15 Eminent Women from Uganda and 10 Eminent Women from other African countries. The main role of the Eminent Women is mediation between different actors. They receive election related incident reports and ensure real time response by the relevant authorities. A Group of The Wise, made up of four experienced senior citizens will provide support to the Eminent Women in their mediation role. All the above actions and activities will culminate into four regional Physical Situation Rooms where intervention and mediation by the Eminent Women will take place, supported by political, legal, gender and security analysts.
The 2021 WSR will have a Steering Committee made up of The Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET), Women’s International Peace Centre (The Peace Centre), Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), Action for Development (ACFODE), Women Democracy Network Uganda Chapter (WDN-U), Center for Women in Governance (CEWIGO), Women Human Rights Defenders Network-Uganda (WHRDN-U), National Union of Women with Disabilities (NUWODU), Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA), Institute for Social Transformation (IST), The Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-U), Center for Conflict Resolution (CECORE) and Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalisation(GWED-G) and Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET).
The Peace Centre trained 78 refugee women in December 2019 and they have participated in the formal and informal decision making forums for peace. To further strengthen their skills, The Peace enhanced the capacity of 90 peace mediators; 40 in Yumbe from 7th to 9th September 2020 and 35 in Adjumani from 10th to 12th September 2020 and 15 in Kotido from 19th to 21st August 2020.
During the training the 75 women peace mediators discussed what they did with the skills they obtained during the mediation training in December 2019, with demonstrations on how they handled the conflict cases and they were guided. The training also focused more on advocacy for conflict prevention and peace building, OPM community based service department took participants through the referral pathway, new action plans were developed and participants went out to implement. The 15 participants in Kotido included community development officers whose involvement in peace building has been low since they had never been targeted with peace building initiatives yet are key if peace is to be realised.
Responding to the absence of young women in policy spaces and programming on peace and security, The Peace Centre conducted a 5-day training for 31 young women from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. This was conducted from the 17th to 22nd August to empower young women from conflict-affected countries including refugees, university students, activists, community-based organization leaders to be leaders and agents of peace.
Investing in women’s leadership requires a lifecycle approach to strengthening and supporting women’s leadership but it will not only change the trajectory of their future, but that of their communities as well. The institute aimed at enhancing the technical expertise of young women to participate in and influence gender-responsive peace-building processes, to empower young women to act as advocates for women’s rights and gender equality as well as strengthen communication through different avenues. The training comprised of modules on;
Leadership to prepare the young women to learn how to express themselves effectively with confidence, assertiveness, creativity, critical thinking, have influence and negotiate successfully.
Gender and Peace Building to provide an introduction to ‘gender’ as an integral concept that shapes our understanding of peace. Drawing on definitions of gender, the module will incrementally make connections between gender, conflict, peace and security.
Creative Activism, through communication to strengthen participants’ communication skills and advocacy through art.
Participants will be expected to apply the newly acquired knowledge and skills through the implementation of a social action plan into their own community settings.
The Peace Centre with funding support from Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund / Spotlight with technical support from UN Women is implementing a project Leading Voices: Strengthening Capacities for Gender Based Violence Prevention and Peace Building in Humanitarian Context in Adjumani district – Uganda. A project that intends to strengthen the leadership capacity and influence of local women leaders and women groups across refugee settlement and host community at Sub County level in Adjumani district to work together to address Violence Against Women, Women’s specific Peace and Security concerns as well as effectively influence peace building and decision making processes to advance gender equality in humanitarian setting using SASA Together methodology.
To equip the staff with knowledge and skills on SASA Together model, The Peace Centre conducted a 4 days’ refresher training of trainers for 18 staff members from 3rd to 6th August. The training enhanced the capacity of staff to implement the project using SASA Together methodology. Staff were able to identify key strategies and stakeholders to engage during the implementation, action plan to roll out the project was developed, staff gained learnt to integrate sustainability, learning and assessment right from the project start. The SASA Model has been modernized into a new model called SASA! Together a community mobilization approach to prevent Violence Against Women (VAW). SASA! means “NOW”, and it emphasizes the need for urgent action towards VAW whereas Together maintains that change is possible through collaborative effort.
The Peace Centre, in partnership with Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare and National Transformational Leadership Institute conducted a five-day training for 21 young women on women, peace and security from 27th to 31st July 2020 to strengthen young women’s leadership skills, equip them to gather information, conduct gendered analysis of current peace and security issues and engage in advocacy for the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda.
Session One focused on the key Concepts on Gender, Transformational Leadership, Peace Building and Conflict Management. The objective of the session was to familiarise participants and develop a common understanding of the meaning of terms that would be used throughout the training. Participants were asked to recall their early childhood days and share what age they discovered that they were girls and not boys. A number of issues were raised that helped to explain the meaning of various terms including sex, gender and gender roles: • Many discovered their gender when they were four to six years old, through what their parents said or forbid them to do. For example, being forbidden to bathe together with boys or use a common toilet in school or squatting while urinating, instead of standing. • Others discovered gender roles when they were assigned to assist their mothers in the kitchen, and other household chores, while their brothers were playing with other boys or doing other roles assigned to men in their communities
Through this discussion, a distinction was made between sex and gender and how socialisation can affect women’s presence and participation in the public arena. The facilitator further explained how culture and unequal opportunities availed to men and women could result in discrimination, oppression or exclusion of women in nation building.
Day two kicked off with a session on conflict mapping and analysis, as well as non-violent conflict resolution strategies which focused on dialogue and mediation. Participants defined what conflicts look like in their communities conflict y issues such as land disputes, cattle raiding, domestic violence etc. Using a Conflict triangle, the session facilitator Dr. Angelina Bazugba demonstrated how conflict occurs and noted the contradictions, attitudes involved and the behaviour of different individuals or parties to the conflict. Key factors contributing to the conflict in South Sudan were discussed. Consequently, various conflict resolution strategies were explored. Emphasis was placed on non-violent strategies including dialogue, negotiation, mediation and arbitration.
Day 3 covered roleplays on conflict resolution. The first role-play was about land grabbing. The grabber lived on the land for a long time before the real owner of the land showed up. Both of them had legal titles, but the grabber threatened to kill the real owner. The case was reported to the community leader who in response called a meeting to resolve the conflict. The meeting involved the Minister for Housing, City Council, Police, community members and the media. The objective of the meeting was to bring two conflicting people to dialogue and find a peaceful solution. The meeting resolved to return the land to the rightful owner with compensation while the grabber was given some money that is equivalent to what was invested on the land. The second role play was on mediation. Key issues emerging from the roleplays included Gender based violence, inheritance of women, girl child denied rights to live with her mother, Power struggles in cultural context, Access and ownership of resources among others.
During the session that covered the Women Peace and Security Agenda, participants were familiarised with key institutional frameworks that support women’s role in the women, peace and security agenda and to discuss national, regional and international frameworks advocating for gender equality. Frameworks highlighted included; The Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, Beijing Platform for Action, UNSCR 1325: The United Nations Security Council Resolution based on the four pillars of prevention, protection, participation, relief and recovery. Participants were encouraged to understand these documents for effective advocacy and lobbying on women’s rights.
This session introduced Mentorship, Confidence Building and Coaching, as well as inter-generational dialogue as key strategies for supporting young women leaders and aspirants. Women leaders namely Hon. Rebecca Joshua Okwasi, the former Minister for Roads and Bridges, Ms. Esther Soma from UN Women, and Ms. Rita Lopidia the Executive Director of Eve Organisation shared their leadership journeys and experiences.
The session was on wellness, self-care and personal development was facilitated by Hope Chigudu, a mentor and coauthor of the Healing through Rituals guide for sustaining wellness and activism and shared selfcare tips with the Young Women. Hope emphasised that women struggle everywhere with issues because women are not well grounded in the right information about themselves. Women must talk about their issues openly and get the help they need.
The last session covered action plan development and as young transformational leaders they were asked to identify at least two major advocacy activities which they could do to apply the knowledge and skills acquired from the training.
Women’s International Peace Centre plans to conduct research in South Sudan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a regional Great lake study. The research is aimed to deepen our understanding of what has worked for the peace and Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) movement in the East African region.
The year 2020 marks a significant anniversary of major women’s rights frameworks including The Beijing Platform for Action and The UNSCR1325 at the global level and the end of the African Women’s decade and supposedly the year of silencing the guns in Africa. Despite the progress made towards achieving gender equality and sustainable peace more still needs to be done as conflict is changing forms with increasingly high incidences of conflict-related sexual violence. The women’s movement has been at the forefront of campaigning for peace and the end of sexual and gender-based violence. It is time to review the extent to which the women’s movement has contributed to peacebuilding and campaigns to end sexual violence using the case study method.
Request for Expression of Interest The Peace Centre invites eligible and qualified individuals to indicate their interest to produce reflective research on “Peacebuilding and ending Gender-Based Violence Movement in the Great Lakes Region”. Interested country based consultants must provide information indicating their competency and indicate their budgetary expenses.
Specific Objectives of the research i. To examine the evolution of the peace and SGBV movement and the factors that lead to its successes. ii. To assess the role of philanthropy in supporting the movement. iii. To understand how peace and SGBV movements increase strength and influence, survived in the face of attacks, and/or emerged to fuel resistance.
Methodology The researchers will be expected to propose a methodology that is suitable for the research subject.
Assignment Description: Duties and Responsibilities: i. Prepare inception report including research design, work plan and study tools. ii. Prepare a draft research report. iii. Present findings and analysis to The Peace Centre.
Required Skills and Experience: i. Demonstrated experience in research on peace and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) movement in the East African region. ii. Excellent written and oral communication skills. iii. Researchers must be Bi-lingual iv. Critical thinking and analysis v. Time Management vi. Experience in research on women & SGBV will be an added advantage.
Application Requirements: Application document, stating the method of work, research method and research questions. Curriculum Vitae, samples of past related research, proposed budget and schedule.
Please note; Applicants can submit as individual consultants, groups of consultants or as institutions for any of the countries specified and for the regional case study.
Application Process Expression of Interest clearly marked “Expression of Interest to conduct research on ‘Peacebuilding and ending Gender-Based Violence Movement in the Great Lakes can be submitted as a soft copy through email address program@wipc.org on or before 5 pm EAT on Wednesday 5th August 2020. Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted.
From 19th to 25th June 2020, The Peace Centre facilitated the meeting of District Peace Committee meetings that had a total of 142 (42 females and 100 males) participants. The meetings provided platforms where Women Peace Mediators presented women peace and security concerns including; the impact of COVID 19 on women, increasing conflicts in the project districts that called for the safety of women and girls, spaces for women’s participation in peacebuilding, peace meetings and complete disarmament, protection of the unprotected kraals, tracking and recovery of stolen animals, need to resume peace initiatives since the Warriors took advantage of the lockdown and conflicts escalated.
The meetings discussed and agreed on strategies of ensuring conflict early warning and early response systems are functional at the District level. As a result, increased realisation and collective action by District Peace Committees on Women Peace and Security concerns were registered, for example Yumbe District offered radio talk show time for the Women Peace Mediators to profile Women Peace and Security concerns as well as hold duty bearers accountable. The disarmament process was initiated in Kotido.
The Women Mediators Networks also met monthly during this period in Panyangara, Nakapelemoro, Rengen and Kotido Municipal within Kotido district and in Yumbe and Adjumani Districts. They have been engaged in documenting and reporting violations associated with COVID-19 containment measures including sexual and physical violence.
In June, women leaders who were trained by the Peace Centre, Karibu Jeunesse Nouvelle (KJN) and Association des Femmes des Medias (AFEM) on practical strategies to promote women’s participation in post-conflict governance in 2019 were interviewed to track their progress. The training aimed at strengthening the capacity of women leaders to engage in and influence post-conflict decision-making and governance as well as demand accountability from policymakers towards actualizing the meaningful inclusion of women in governance and decision making in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since 2019 the trained women leaders, have held community awareness sessions and dialogues on the need for women’s participation at all decision-making levels; the rights and responsibilities for women and girls, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and also mitigated land conflicts. The awareness sessions also targeted schools and Universities, encouraging young women to join politics, to position themselves in leadership structures and the political system in preparation for the 2023 legislative elections. As a result, 5 young women joined the communication unit of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress Party (UDPS).
Thanks to Bukavu’s training, I feel very equipped and reassured. When my UDPS Party was coming to implant up in my community, I used all the strategies learnt to position myself. I grab a strategic position in this party, I am now the President of the party’s women’s league in my locality. Now it is me who will be identifying and recruiting other women to join and advocate for their interests. Bora – Elysée
Although women constitute the highest statistic demographically compared to men (52%), this has not been influential in terms of their political participation. Several factors justify this including; traditional and cultural barriers with their consequences on women’s perceptions and self-esteem and gender-based violence; poverty and illiteracy, insufficient resources allocated to women’s leadership structures and weak coordination of women’s organizations, Persistent discrimination against women in the legal framework and non-compliance, instability, political tensions and the existence of conflict zones (Kasai, Tanganyika, South Kivu, North Kivu, Ituri). In light of this situation, the training contributed to the awareness of women leaders in South Kivu on this situation and build their capacities and skills to improve on their representation.
The women leaders at the June 2019 training institute not only learnt more about transformation leadership, women’s political leadership and UNSCR 1325 but they also shared their experiences as women’s rights activists, the lessons from their work in their communities as well the benefit of their leadership experiences both good and bad. During this institute, they strengthened their network of women leaders in the province.
The Peace Centre, Karibu Jeunesse Nouvelle (KJN) and Association des Femmes des Medias (AFEM) work in partnership to strengthen women’s capacity as change agents in peace building and post-conflict governance in South Kivu, Eastern D.R.C. On 29th May an online meeting was held for partners to assess the current situation as impacted by COVID-19, understand the implications for planned activities and agree on a way forward. With a steep increase in gender-based violence, women’s exclusion from decision-making on COVID-19 response and limited access to information on preventive measure, the partners agreed to prioritise addressing these issues. As a result, the meeting defined future activities to include, translating key messages on COVD-19 prevention into local languages, radio talk shows and community meetings by women peace builders to sensitise the public on COVID-19. The Peace Centre also committed to conduct a training webinar on wellness and self-care to support the wellbeing and work of women human rights defenders (WHRDs) in Bukavu.
On 16th June, the Peace Centre and National Alliance for Women Human Rights Defenders (NAWHRD) Nepal also held an online meeting to discuss the current COVID-19 dynamics and prepare for the upcoming training of Deputy Mayors and District Vice Chairpersons in Kathmandu on gender budgeting, gender-responsive district planning and wellness under the theme Transformed Leadership for Transformation. The partners agreed on a timeline and methodology for the planned profiling of the work and impact of the institute’s alumnae in Nepal since 2007 including the previously trained Deputy Mayors and District Vice-Chairpersons.
2020 marks the sixth global annual International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. This year has been particularly challenging for the entire world with the COVID-19 pandemic but much more for women and girls’ refugees, who are already living in very difficult circumstances with limited access to social services and livelihood options. COVID-19 and the measures put in place by governments to curb its spread has led to increased human rights violations and particularly painfully, to sexual violence against refugee women and girls’. Despite the March 23, 2020, global call for ceasefire by the UN Secretary-General, conflicts have continued in many countries exposing women and girls to displacements and increased risk of sexual violence. This is not to say that it is absent in so-called peaceful countries; in fact, sexual violence has increased globally due to COVID-19. This blog discusses sexual violence against refugees women and girls in the time of COVID-19.
Globally the extent of conflict-related sexual violence is not known as a result of underreporting associated with stigma and intimidation of survivors, lack of adequate response mechanisms for survivors and reporting barriers[1] particularly for refugee women and girls. The United Nations Secretary General’s report on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) indicates that both state and non-state actors are responsible for sexual violence, which has been used to displace communities[2]. We see examples across conflict-affected Africa. In South Sudan, allied militia raped women and girls as part of a campaign to drive opponents out of southern Unity State. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Twa and Luba militia used sexual violence as a means of repression, terror and control. In Burundi, armed actors gang-raped and sexually humiliated detainees perceived as political opponents. In Nigeria, sexual violence has been used as a tactic of terrorism as women and girls have been targeted for abduction and sexual abuse by extremist groups[3].
Women and girls forcibly displaced by conflict and seeking refuge from violence remain at risk. In refugee situations data on the true prevalence of sexual and gender based violence during COVID-19 is lacking. However, preliminary data obtained from the Women’s International Peace Centre-trained Women Peace Mediators provides the nature, causes and responses to sexual violence against women and girls in refugee contexts in West Nile, northern Uganda. The most prevalent cases include defilement, early and forced marriages, survival sex and domestic violence.
Defilement: in the month of April and May, Women Peace Mediators reported seven (7) defilement cases involving girls aged 14 to 17 years in Zones 1, 3 & 5 in Yumbe and Maaji refugee camps in Adjumani. Two of the perpetrators were arrested, one ran away and the other is negotiating to marry the victim. There has been no follow up with the cases as the police is more concerned with ensuring that the population adhere to COVID-19 lockdown rules. Some parents due to shame and stigma prefer to negotiate with the perpetrator to marry the victim and earn money from bridal dowry. In some cases, parents falsify the age of their daughters by increasing it to 18 years or above so she is forced to marry the perpetrator.
Forced marriages: Six (6) cases of young girls forced to marry during COVID-19 have been reported in Nyumanzi refugee resettlement. Many parents who cannot afford to take care of their families are forcing young girls to marry and limiting their opportunity to finish school. Another reported case of forced marriage is of a 17-year-old girl who was raped by a 23-year-old man, and has been forced to marry the perpetrator. This situation is made worse by limited access to health care services in the refugee settlements. The Women Peace Mediators were able to refer the survivor for emergency post-rape medical care and counselling. The social norms and practices impede access to justice for these young women rape survivors by pushing for marriages to the perpetrator
In April 2020 the World Food Programme announced reduction in food ration for over 1.4million refugees in Uganda, South Sudan DRC and Burundi due to COVID-19[4]. This has led to increased domestic violence among refugees in northern Uganda as food rations have been reduced from 12kg to 8kg which is barely enough for families. Due to restricted movement many cannot go out to work and earn additional money to provide for the family, the lack of enough food is leading to tensions within the household and domestic violence against women from men demanding for food or who sell off the ration received to supplement for other household needs. In Bidibidi settlement in Yumbe District, the Women Peace Mediators recorded thirty-six (36) domestic violence cases in April and forty-two (42) cases in May 2020.
Survival sex: Many young women have fallen prey to older men who are offering money for items such as sanitary pads, food and panties. This is because a lot of families cannot afford these basic items due to high poverty levels particularly among refugees who do not have access to paid work or diverse livelihood sources. In addition, with the lockdown and limited movement opportunities to earn a living are squashed even further. Young women who get pregnant often engage in unsafe abortions, as there is limited access to reproductive health services, thus exposing them to further reproductive health risks and in some cases, or death.
The main challenges from the forgoing are that COVID-19 is increasing poverty and vulnerabilities of refugee women and girls to sexual and gender based violence. Yet, little attention is paid to this horrendous impact of COVID-19. Most of the resources for COVID-19 are being used to ensure security, thus replicating responses in traditional conflict or crisis setting where attention is paid to securing the borders and amassing tools to enforce state security at the expense of human security.
As we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict all stakeholders must ensure women and girls refugees are safe and live in dignity. To achieve this, it is important that humanitarian response ensure enough food is available for refugees. Interventions working to reduce and eliminate sexual violence need to be scaled up to ensure deterrence and end impunity, perpetrators must be apprehended and penalised to ensure justice for victims. Responses by all actors should take a holistic approach that addresses the socio economic needs of refugee women and girls . In addition, all COVID-19 committees at all levels should include refugees women and girls to ensure their needs and concerns are taken into account in all decision-making and implementation of the response including post COVID-19 planning.
“I have been appointed to several leadership positions within the Government of South Sudan in part because of the support and work of Isis-WICCE.”
Prof. Amina Mama(Nigeria/UK)
“In my own teaching on women’s movements these cases are very useful. We urgently need more of this kind of work- I strongly recommend this report and its collaborative strategy as a very good model for other national studies on women’s political participation.”
Anne-Grace Nakasi(Uganda)
“They wondered how nine men could sleep with me and I could still talk. The greatest part of the project was enabling us to tell and write our stories. This has been very energising. We have regained our self-esteem and more women in the community want to be open about their HIV status so they can join us to get these benefits. We are no longer reviled by the community and I am now a Local Councillor.”
Bernice T Dahn(Liberia)
“The manual on Management of Medical and Psychological Effects of War Trauma is a very useful reference tool for continued response to women survivors issues. Isis-WICCE brought in a team of experts that trained our own team. This was a clear case of south-south cooperation. [The Ministry of Gender] used the research findings to fundraise for our GBV programmes.”
Josee KusinzaDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
“I went out like a bushfire to respond to the challenges women faced in Eastern Congo. The institute challenged me to see things in a different way and to take action. As a result, I was one of the initiators of COCAFEM (a network of womens associations in the Great Lakes) to respond to the regional challenges.”
Pooja Bhatarai (Nepal)
“I found myself. The Isis-WICCE-WOREC feminist institute
helped me embark on the journey of transformation. It equipped me with
practical skills to document cases of different forms of violence
against women and analyse them with a feminist lens.”
