Women Waging Peace: Inclusive Security

Before I went to Kenya last year to undertake my research I read several victim statements and transcripts or Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commissions underaken in several African countries. My aim was to inform myself with knowledge of how women were included in the process: were there women on the Commission? Were women able to provide their victim statements by having the Commission meet them in their communities? Was there space provided to ensure confidentiality or potential negative repercussions once they had disclosed? If women were not provided the chance to be a part of the process, did the Commissions' findings and recommendations address violations against women?

The result of my research is too great to discuss here but I recently came across a Rwandan politician who advocates for women's involvement in Peace processes. Aloisea Inyumba, Rwanda's first Minister of Gender and Social Affairs after the genocide. Although only 26 years old when she became Minister, she helped design the burial of 800,000 victims of the massacres. "She devised a system to care for half a million orphans. She created five tiers of local to national women’s councils that indirectly fed into the parliament, resulting in the highest percentage of women legislators in the world and making Rwanda the first country to break the 50% barrier for women’s participation".  (Retrieved from Institute on Inclusive Security ). In the video below Aloisea talks about the necessity and importance of inclusive security.

Aloisea Inyumba died of cancer in 2012 at the age of 48.