Alert aims to improve peacebuilding by incorporating a gender perspective. We strengthen civil society capacity to promote women’s political, economic and social participation, heighten policy dialogues effectiveness around UNSCR 1325 implementation and develop coherent and strategic approaches among policy makers.

Since 2007 Alert has supported women’s grassroots peacebuilding initiatives in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and advocated for a gendered peacebuilding focus at national, regional and international levels. The intention is to strengthen networks of women’s peacebuilding organisations while communicating their experiences to policy makers. Alert has ensured a more coherent and strategic approach by supporting NGOs in identifying ways to address shared priorities and enhancing their ability to influence those in power.

Although the 2008 military coup in Guinea has slowed down the implementation of some activities, in all three countries, women’s groups have become more aware of their rights and are engaging with and influencing governmental and intergovernmental policies. A national action plan to implement the resolution has been launched in Liberia by the Ministry of Gender and Development. One is under development in Sierra Leone. The Mano River union is moving towards translating the integration of a gender perspective in building peace from rhetoric into reality.

Women face enormous challenges in the Mano River Union. Little or no access to education, prevailing poverty and high illiteracy levels help ensure they continue to be excluded from decision making processes. Even when presented with opportunities to participate, women often shy away. In a culture that favours older men, their lack of self-esteem and confidence, driven by a strong sense of traditional gender roles, means their views, needs and interests are often not taken into account.

The reality of life in post conflict Liberia and Sierra Leone brings new opportunities and challenges. Widespread poverty, lack of water and electricity, destruction of infrastructure including education and health systems and increased HIV prevalence affects men and women in different ways. As negative as the effects of war are on women, prolonged conflict has yielded short and long-term social and political gains. Structures oppressive to women were broken down and women able or forced to take more decision-making roles within the community. Increased space is available for women to participate in public life and their different perspectives and experiences are more likely to be taken into account.

However these gains are at risk of crumbling in the face of men returning to normal life, resuming control of resources and seeking to reassert ‘lost’ masculinity. Despite initiatives to improve gender equality, social and cultural attitudes have great influence. Change in attitude and culture is slow. Despite the legal and political gains made by women in the capitals, the lives of most women have not improved dramatically. There are indications that domestic violence incidence has risen. Mental health specialists claim lack of attention to psychosocial needs of ex-combatants has led to widespread sexual and gender based violence, aggressive and violent behaviour and wide scale substance abuse. Gender based violence remains rampant. The justice system is corrupt and unsympathetic to women’s issues; and women are marginalised from community leadership and lack access to the educational and economic opportunities available to men in the same areas.

The post-conflict period has brought a great deal of international attention and support. Political will, especially at the national level, for women’s empowerment is high. Many international NGOs have emphasised women’s empowerment in the implementation of relief and development programs. Nevertheless, the legacies of war and disenfranchisement have left most women ill-equipped to participate meaningfully. It remains to be seen whether this potential is translated into real gains for women.

The military coup has created uncertainty regarding rule of law, with particular ramifications for women. Human Rights Watch has reported incidents of violence, extortion, and rape committed by men dressed in military uniforms. Although Guinean law stipulates crimes fall under the jurisdiction of the gendarmerie, police now report they are no longer authorised by the military to conduct investigations. Increasing abuses by some military officials, coupled with a lack of investigation and justice for victims is a worrying trend, particularly for victims of sexual violence.

The security situation has further deteriorated following the events of 28th September 2009. An estimated 50,000 people protesting junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara’s apparent intention to stand in the presidential election staged a peaceful demonstration at the national stadium in Conakry. In response, security forces surrounded and barricaded the stadium, opened fired on and beat up some demonstrators. Women were publicly and systematically raped by groups of men, using objects in some cases. Some women were stripped, put in military trucks and driven away to endure days of gang rape. Many of the bodies of those who are missing and assumed to have died have still not been recovered by their families, causing suspicion that they have been buried in mass graves by forces wishing to conceal the true extent of the killings. As far as the public are aware, no member of the security forces has been disciplined or held accountable to date, creating perceptions of impunity for killing and sexual violence. The events of 28th September have contributed to destabilising and causing civil unrest in Guinea, with accompanying repercussions for peace in the region. Guinea could be heading towards crisis. Economic and political stagnation have potential to result in violence. The time is therefore ripe for women’s voices to be heard in their country’s changing political scene. Without more effective involvement of civil society in the political debate, women’s voices being a part of this debate, the fragile peace that currently exists may well break down.

The new government has revised legislation on issues directly affecting women in response to intense lobbying from increasingly organised civil society organisations and networks. This includes amendments to the penal code on sexual offences, extending the legal definition of rape and increasing the maximum sentence for first degree rape to life imprisonment. New legislation builds on 2003 inheritance laws guaranteeing rights to property and addressing widow inheritance whereby a widow and her property are ‘inherited’ by her husband’s relatives. In 2009, a special court opened to try cases of GBV. This should speed up the process of redress for victims. The National Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 was launched in March 2009.

Despite these efforts, women continue to face important security risks, human rights abuses and discrimination in political, economic and social spheres. An estimated 65% of Liberian women experienced sexual exploitation during the 14 year civil war. Brutal forms of gender-based violence were widespread, affecting women and girls of all ages. The end of the war has brought little respite with evidence of an increase in domestic violence. Reintegration of former combatants and returning refugees are creating additional security risks. Lack of a functioning judiciary and security sector is exacerbating this culture of impunity.

Despite the election of a female president and appointment of several female ministers, women remain excluded from leadership and decision-making in governmental, community and private institutions and in the family. The nature of frameworks and political systems in Liberia remains deeply patriarchal. Lacking confidence and skills to communicate and negotiate effectively, women remain on the margins with their needs and interests inadequately represented. This risks the country will replicate patterns of marginalisation that underpinned the civil war.

The legacy of Sierra Leone’s ten-year civil conflict continues to adversely affect women who face arduous, interconnecting challenges in their country’s post conflict environment. It is widely estimated that up to 250,000 women experienced sexual and gender based violence during the war. Further obstacles include the destruction of social networks and coping mechanisms, limited options for employment and access to micro-finance and exclusion from decision-making structures. Discrimination against women and youth in crime and legal disputes is widespread, especially in communities where disputes are settled by local law divorced from national and international rights standards. The recommendations related to gender based violence in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have yet to be implemented.

The government is slowly addressing gender inequalities. Three gender bills have been enacted and are currently the subject of sensitisation efforts. Several awareness-raising programs have also been held around United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. The country is currently in the process of developing a national action plan for implementation of the resolution. However, progress is slow on changing attitudes and behaviour. More efforts in dissemination and sensitisation are required if these new laws are to have an impact.