The search is on for 1,000,000 women from all over the world whose stories will be uploaded to the WikiPeaceWomen website. The idea is to call international attention to the vital role played by women from all walks of life in challenging harmful established social/cultural boundaries, institutions and ideologies and in creating and promoting peace in their communities and the world.
With the documentation and promotion of the stories of a million women on WikiPeaceWomen website, peace workers will be honoured and given international recognition. Their lives and work will be documented through video and film, audio tape, printed biographies and other media, and their strategies for constructive conflict resolution, peace-making and development will be analysed by researchers worldwide and utilised in the study of conflict and peace processes.
We define peace as more than the absence of war. Our concept of peace is comprehensive and covers all aspects of life including politics, the economy, culture, social and natural environments, and social justice. We, therefore, are looking for women who have a holistic approach to peace. Our concept of peace is human security, which is endangered daily by conflict, poverty, inequality and disrespect for human rights.
The situations that women who work for peace have to confront and rectify include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
• The promotion and protection of human rights
• The protection of children, women, people with disabilities, and other at-risk groups
• The elimination of poverty in all its forms
• The maintenance of a healthy, sustainable natural environment
• The struggle against structural violence and discrimination (including patriarchal, caste, class, racial, and ethnic)
• The establishment of a just economic and social order
• Ensuring universal access to resources
• Promotion of peace negotiations and conflict mediation
• Health and education
• Analysis of mechanisms that endanger peace
• Documentation of war crimes and violations of human rights
• Action against all arms, especially the proliferation of small arms
The main criteria for the peace women are summarized as follows:
• She employs and promotes active, non-violent responses to conflict situations, structural injustices and inequalities
• Her work is sustainable and long-term
• She leads by example, acting with moral courage and responsibility
• Her work is exemplary and worthy of emulation
• She works for the cause of peace and not for political or personal gain
• Her work is transparent and based on tolerance
• She includes and engages with people of different backgrounds
Examples of PeaceWomen can be found on www.1000peacewomen.org
If required please email us at [email protected] with the subject ‘WikiPeaceWomen’ and we will send you the above form along with other details of this initiative.