International Women’s Day and the whole month of March is the moment to raise our voices in the defense, promotion and realization of gender equality as a fundamental issue that cuts across all aspects of habitat-related rights.
This year, and following the priorities of HIC Members, the March campaign of our coalition will raise awareness about the key role played by women in all of their diversities, in resisting violence and conflict, and advancing towards peace through the strong linkages that they realize in care and the defense of the territories.
It is evident that we continue to live in a world in which war and conflict are perpetuated by different human rights violations related to habitat, with a profound and disproportionate impact on women’s access to, use, and control of land.
When we look at the generalized narrative around war, the protagonists tend to be men: the martyrs, the victors, the decision makers On the other side of the picture, women’s key role in contexts of violence and conflict is often overlooked, as well as the feminist contribution to the construction of peace.
Christine Sylvester points out that “war is a politics of doing harm”. However, the harm suffered by women in wars and conflicts is not only invisibilized, but so are their experiences as survivors, peacemakers and activists during conflicts who lead the protection of territories and caring of the whole community.
It’s time to:
- recognize the leadership of women in the context of conflicts, as contributing to peace, and claiming and defending the right to housing, right to land and right to care.
- Visibilize impacts of violence and war on women’s housing and land rights, and access to care systems.
- Listen to the experiences of women in all of their diversities in claiming and defending the right to housing and land and their key role in caring for the whole community.
As we reaffirm our commitment during women’s month to denouncing ongoing atrocities and human rights violations in contexts of internal and external violence, we denounce the violation of women’s rights during war and conflict, we call for visibilizing the role played by women in care and resisting war and conflict, and urge for advancing towards feminist approaches to peace!
