Webinar on War from the Eye’s of Women

The world is witnessing yet another shocking, destructive and traumatic war between Russia and Ukraine. Again women are facing the dire consequences of war. Wars and conflict destroy lives, livelihoods, economy, families and much more but women are excessively affected by them. Existing inequalities and inequities get magnified and even decades after a conflict, women continue to bear the brunt. War makes women more vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation as social networks break down along with institutions that prevent gender-based violence. Women’s bodies have become a battleground over which opposing forces struggle. The webinar was organized to discuss the meaning and implication of war through women’s lens. Naish Hasan, eminent women rights activist and author, Dr. Shipra Mathur, independent journalist and founder of PEN Literacy, Dr. Aparna Singh, Faculty RMLNLU, Lucknow and Dr. Aditi Narayani Paswan, Assistant Professor, Delhi University were among the main speakers of the webinar.  They advocate for women’s participation and inclusion in peace processes. Women’s full and meaningful participation is vital to improve the peace and security processes. The inclusion of women themselves in the decision-making processes and humanitarian response is therefore essential to ensure that their rights are upheld. Some experts also advocate the inclusion of women in military structures as a positive change, under the discourse of gender equality.