Photo: Uganda's chief negotiator Betty Bigombe talks with LRA rebel leaders in Palabek, northern Uganda, 28 December 2004. James Akena/REUTERS.

updated October 2009

Gender and conflict

When social order and rule of law break down, it is women who suffer most. They are often subjected to gender-based violence; they become the single heads of households; and they are displaced and forced to travel to camps for refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs). But women are far more than victims: they are often the key to preventing violence from emerging, resolving ongoing conflict, and rebuilding societies once the guns go silent. Crisis Group aims to incorporate gender-based concerns into its reporting, addressing women's rights and security needs, and issues such as women's roles in peace negotiations.

This page gathers Crisis Group's work on gender and conflict, including reports with a specific gender emphasis as well as a selection of those with gender-related recommendations. It also provides links to other relevant resources on the web.

Crisis Group reports and briefings

• Women and Radicalisation in Kyrgyzstan, Asia Report N°176, 3 September 2009
• Policing in Afghanistan: Still Searching for a Strategy, Asia Briefing N°85, 18 December 2008
• Northern Uganda: The Road to Peace, with or without Kony, Africa Report N°146, 10 December 2008
• Reforming the Judiciary in Pakistan, Asia Report N°160, 16 October 2008
• Nepal's Election: A Peaceful Revolution?, Asia Report N°155, 3 July 2008
• Nepal's New Political Landscape, Asia Report N°156, 3 July 2008
• Reforming Pakistan's Police, Asia Report N°157, 14 July 2008
• Egypt's Muslim Brothers: Confrontation or Integration?, Middle East/North Africa Report N°76, 18 June 2008
• Darfur: Revitalising the Peace Process, Africa Report N°125, 30 April 2007
• Northern Uganda: Seizing the Opportunity for Peace, Africa Report N°124, 26 April 2007
• Beyond Victimhood: Women's Peacebuilding in Sudan, Congo and Uganda, Africa Report N°112, 28 June 2006
• Liberia: Resurrecting the Justice System, Africa Report N°107, 6 April 2006
• Colombia's Humanitarian Crisis, Latin America Report N°4, 9 July 2003
• Afghanistan: Women and Reconstruction, Asia Report N°48, 14 March 2003
  

Articles, op-eds and speeches by Crisis Group staff and board members

• Beyond Victimhood: Protection and Participation of Women in the Pursuit of Peace,
  Donald Steinberg, 1 October 2009
• "UN to Consider New Position for Women", Donald Steinberg in Global Post, 7 September 2009
• "UN Resolution on Women, Peace and Security; Anniversary Worth Celebrating?", Donald Steinberg in Reuters: The Great Debate, 19 June 2009
• "Rape as a Weapon of War in Congo", François Grignon in Spiegel International, 11 June 2009
• "Peace Missions and Gender Equality: Ten Lessons from the Ground", Donald Steinberg, submission to OSCE roundtable, 11 March 2009
• "Peace and Justice in the Real World", Donald Steinberg, 23 February 2009
• Combating Sexual Violence in Conflict: Using Facts from the Ground, speech by Donald Steinberg, 17 December 2008.
• Protection and Participation: Women and Armed Conflict, speech by Donald Steinberg, 10 September 2008.
• "Making Peace Matter: Toward a Concept of Inclusive Security", Donald Steinberg in G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit 2008, 7 July 2008
• Statement on Gender Violence ahead of UNSC 19 June Debate, Crisis Group media release, 18 June 2008
• "Make Forced Marriage a Crime against Humanity", Donald Steinberg in the Christian Science Monitor, 9 June 2008
• "Beyond Victimhood: Engaging Women in the Pursuit of Peace", Donald Steinberg, Testimony to the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2008
• "Beyond Victimhood: Involving Women in Peace Operations", Donald Steinberg, UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations Townhall Meeting, New York, 6 December 2007
• "Failing to Empower Women Peacebuilders: A Cautionary Tale from Angola", Donald Steinberg in PeaceWomen E-News, 25 April 2007
• "Beyond Victimhood: Women's Peacebuilding in Conflict Situations", Donald Steinberg in Monday Developments, 11 September 2006
• "Swaziland: Beyond Royal Rule and Naked Reed Dances", Peter Kagwanja in The Nation (Kenya), 28 April 2006
• "Inclusive Security: Hope for Congo", Swanee Hunt in The Boston Globe, 29 December 2005

Links to other resources on the web

• UN Security Council Resolution 1888 - passed unanimously on 30 September 2009, asked the Secretary General to appoint a Special Representative to focus on sexual violence in armed conflicts.
• UN Security Council Resolution 1820 - passed unanimously on 19 June 2008, demanded all sides in armed conflict  stop using violence against women as a tactic of war.
• UN Security Council Resolution 1325 - passed unanimously on 31 October 2000, this resolution was the first ever passed by the Security Council that specifically addresses the impact of war on women, and women's contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace.
• Gender & Security Sector Reform Toolkit, by DCAF, OSCE/ODIHR, UN-INSTRAW, 2008
• The Initiative for Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace
• Elisabeth Rehn and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, "Women, War and Peace: The Independent Experts' Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Women's Role in Peace-building" (UNIFEM, New York, 2002)
• Amnesty International - Women's rights
• Human Rights Watch - Women's rights
• ICRC - Women and war 
• PeaceWomen (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom)
• Women, Peace & Security Web Portal (UNIFEM) 
• UN Division for the Advancement of Women
• UNIFEM toolbox
• International Alert/Women Waging Peace toolkit
• UN peacekeeping gender resource package