when women in war aren’t victims: a security blindspot (vid)

The Singular Focus on Women in War as Victims or Peaceful Advocates Hampers Our Response

DATE: Wednesday, March 1, 2017 / TIME: 10:00am – 11:30am

The prototype of a woman in a war zone is still dominated by the image of a passive victims or, more recently at least, that of an activist working for peace and equal rights. Rarely do researchers and assistance efforts consider the unique role and impact of women agents of violence—combatants, spies, supporters. Join the U.S. Institute of Peace on March 1 for a look at examples from World War II and the current Afghan war to examine this blind spot in our analysis of war—and how it hampers our responses.

The tendency of stories about women in violent conflict to focus largely on their peaceful nature reflects a pattern of omitting women from history books and from narratives of peace and security, especially when they are waging war in their own right. For decades, we have ignored the reality of women’s participation as perpetrators in the Holocaust. More recently in Afghanistan, women have played multiple roles in violent extremism, including as recruiters, sympathizers, perpetrators or peacemakers.

Panelists will shed light on cases in which women challenged stereotypical expectations and shaped the nature of the conflict, and how responses need to adjust to this reality.