Security

These ‘snapshot’ briefings are part of a longer-term initiative by International Alert to help address the current gaps in knowledge and understanding between those actors at the district level and those in Kathmandu. Each briefing aims to outline current security and justice needs and challenges in a particular district, and advance constructive recommendations for ways in which national and international actors could address these challenges. The briefings are based on research undertaken as part of Alert’s work for the Initiative for Peacebuilding project.

This snapshot focuses on Dang, a district in the western Terai where political party youth wings are increasingly blamed for exacerbating insecurity.

These ‘snapshot’ briefings are part of a longer-term initiative by International Alert to help address the current gaps in knowledge and understanding between those actors at the district level and those in Kathmandu. Each briefing aims to outline current security and justice needs and challenges in a particular district, and advance constructive recommendations for ways in which national and international actors could address these challenges. The briefings are based on research undertaken as part of Alert’s work for the Initiative for Peacebuilding project.

This snapshot focuses on Rukum, a district in the western hill region at the heart of the Maoist conflict. This briefing examines the security situation in the district four years after the signing of the peace agreement.

This briefing paper focuses on Bong County in central Liberia, one of the areas worst affected by conflict in the Mano River Union. It forms part of International Alert’s work to address the current gaps in knowledge and understanding between local actors in the leeward counties and those in Monrovia. Each briefing in this series aims to outline current security and justice needs and challenges in a particular county and advance constructive recommendations for ways in which national and international actors could address these challenges. It is based on research undertaken as part of Alert’s work for the Security Cluster of the Initiative for Peacebuilding project.

This briefing paper focuses on Grand Gedeh County in southeast Liberia, one of the areas worst affected by conflict in the Mano River Union. It forms part of International Alert’s work to address the current gaps in knowledge and understanding between local actors in the leeward counties and those in Monrovia. Each briefing in this series aims to outline current security and justice needs and challenges in a particular county and advance constructive recommendations for ways in which national and international actors could address these challenges. It is based on research undertaken as part of Alert’s work for the Security Cluster of the Initiative for Peacebuilding project.

This briefing paper focuses on Lofa County in northern Liberia, one of the areas worst affected by conflict in the Mano River Union. It forms part of International Alert’s work to address the current gaps in knowledge and understanding between local actors in the leeward counties and those in Monrovia. Each briefing in this series aims to outline current security and justice needs and challenges in a particular county and advance constructive recommendations for ways in which national and international actors could address these challenges. It is based on research undertaken as part of Alert’s work for the Security Cluster of the Initiative for Peacebuilding project.

This briefing paper aims to outline priorities for international community support for the effective and accountable provision of security and justice in Nepal. It aims to highlight the need for utilising a participatory approaches in the promotion of people-centred reform of the security and justice system. There is growing political will to address these issues on a national and international level, yet the international community could improve its response with improved coordination and increasing the capacity of local actors to participate in any future justice and security sector reform process.

This briefing note seeks to contribute to the knowledge on Resolution 1325, building on International Alert’s work in the MRU region during the last few years. The first section briefly discusses the need to adjust the approach to implementing Resolution 1325 in challenging contexts such as post-conflict Sierra Leone and Liberia and conflict-prone Guinea. Based on a brief discussion of salient issues and thematic priorities across the three countries, the subsequent section sketches the contours of a comprehensive agenda for implementing Resolution 1325 in the MRU region. The three components of this agenda are addressing women's security needs, enhancing their political participation, and implementing gender equality legislation and policies. The briefing note ends with the following four broad recommendations to sustain and enhance work on Resolution 1325 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone:
1. Working (better) with what exists: Engage custodians of the customary justice system.
2. Address sexual and gender-based violence: Mobilise communities through change agents.
3. Economics matters: Address the economic dimension of gender, peace and security.
4. From plans to action: Make smart investments in civil society.

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has been one of the major legacies of the 14-year (1989-2003) regional conflict in the Mano River Union (MRU). In response, in 2008 International Alert and its partners designed an initiative targeting war-affected communities in nine border areas of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. This Human Security in the MRU project has challenged knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning SGBV in order to reduce perpetration and the stigmatisation of survivors, and provided information, counselling and advocacy in order to guide men and women through prevention and redress actions. This report aims to capture the experiences of the project in the context of work in three interlinked but quite specific country contexts. It looks at the extent of SGBV and domestic violence as experienced in the target communities, details the challenges and best practices of project staff in their attempts to raise awareness and change attitudes and practices, and analyses the particular challenges of providing security and accessing justice (statutory or customary) in the various target communities. It concludes with a series of recommendations for the improved provision of security and justice for women, girls and other vulnerable groups within the MRU.

This snapshot briefing paper looks at the situation of security and justice provision in Mahottari district in the central Terai region of Nepal. Mahottari is a border district where the police struggle to control the activities of numerous armed and criminal groups, and levels of gender based violence are extremely high. This briefing assesses security and justice provision against this backdrop and outlines implications for national and international policy-makers.

This snapshot briefing paper looks at the situation of security and justice provision in Rasuwa district in the central region of Nepal. This sparsely populated mountain district is situated due north of Kathmandu and shares a border with China on its northern side. The security situation in Rasuwa district is fair in comparison to many other districts, particularly those in the Terai where the police struggle to control the activities of numerous armed and criminal groups. In contrast to the Terai districts where levels of gender based violence are extremely high, this district populated by 63.75 percent of Tamang ethnicity has different story to tell. This briefing assesses security and justice provision against this backdrop and outlines implications for national and international policy-makers.