Past Activities

Forum: Towards Maintaining a Peaceful Co-existence
Held at DIAR for Rehabilitation and Development Association (DRDA),Mandela Internally Displaced Persons Camp, Khartoum
Saturday, September 10th, 2005
 
The idea of this forum was instigated by local Commuity Based Organisations and NGOs working in the IDP camps of Mayo, Mandela, and Angola, in partnership with the SIHA Network. The forum was in response to the violent acts which occurred in greater Khartoum following the death of the Sudan's Vice-president and SPLM Chairperson, Dr. John Garang.
 
Sudanese people have come a long way in order to achieve the CPA, opening windows for hope and development. Sustaining peace requires moving mountains, a task which we are ready to tackle.
 
As a result of the recent violence, we have learned that the isolation of marginalised communities must be broken, allowing them to voice their own concerns.

Our goal through this forum was to establish grounds (facilitated by civil society groups) for ongoing peaceful dialogues between IDP communities and the local authorities.  Specifically, the objectives of the forum were to:
 
Promote a culture of peace and the cessation of violent attitudes
Allow IDP communities to voice concerns and articulate their experiences of the recent violence. Rebuild trust and strengthen the sense of safety and security among IDP communities.Strengthen the understanding of citizenship and rights to equal treatment and equal access to justice
 
This forum invited IDP community leaders, religious leaders, women, and youth, in addition to representatives from the local authority, civil society groups, and UN agencies. The forum was also attended by local NGOs members from Mayo, Mandela, and Angola.
 
Horn of Africa Consultation on Violence against Women and Girls in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations,
Kenya, Nairobi
June 1- June 3, 2005
 
 The idea of this consultation emerged from the overwhelming reported and unreported incidents of violence against women and girls occurring at the moment in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Over the past thirty years and until today, the Horn of Africa region has been the stage of long term civil conflicts that have affected its population and impacted the social, political and economic environment of the region. The entire region is undergoing extensive transformations, with the Darfur situation being the latest in the chain of the ongoing civil conflicts in the region.
 
Violence against women and girls is extensive and deeply rooted in the Horn; women and girls, in both conflict and post-conflict situations,  are systematically experiencing various forms of violence that affect their lives, hindering their personal development as well as that of the region in general.   However, this issue of violence against women, particularly in light of conflict, has consistently been overlooked by regional and national political power structures and other actors in the conflicts.
 
As a result, violence against women and girls has become a daily challenge for women to contend with.  The continuation and the acceptance of violence against women and girls extends beyond times of conflict times into the post conflict arenas, as observed in different parts of the Horn of Africa such as Somalia, and South Sudan.  Although VAW may be invisible in peace times, continued exposure during to it during times of conflict will result in it being more accepted and justified.
 
The overall goal of this consultation was to discuss and develop strategies for addressing violence against women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations across the Horn of Africa.  The consultation considered the lessons learned about VAW in conflict (the successes and failures), who the main actors are, and the role of civil society groups as advocates towards ending violence against women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations.  
 
The main topics the consultation addressed were:

v   Experiences of VAW in conflict and post-conflict situations based on Darfur, South Sudan, and Somalia/Somaliland cases

 

v   The root causes of civil conflict in the Horn of Africa and its effect on women's lives in the Horn of Africa

 

v   The culture of peace and conflict in the Horn of Africa and women's role in peace building
 

v   The policy and legislative gaps at national, regional, and international levels

 

v   What mechanisms are available and what must be established to reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls in the Horn of Africa.

The role of regional bodies and their position in relation to the high prevalence of violence against women and girls in the region.
 
Solid recommendations for addressing VAW in conflict and post-conflict situations arose out of this consultation, and were adopted into SIHA and the members’ work strategies and plans, and included in the SIHA VAW Campaign (2004-2008).
 
Invited to the consultation were representatives of grassroots women's groups from Darfur, South Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland, in addition to researchers and experts on VAW and conflict from the region and internationally.