Gender and Development Network Member’s Meeting and Public Seminar Peace, Security and Violence against Women: Is SCR 1325 delivering for women?

Security Council Resolution 1325 SCR passed unanimously on 31 October 2000 The resolution seeks to promote the inclusion of women in peace-building efforts and reflects on the importance of women’s contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace. In particular, Resolution 1325 calls for the participation of women at all levels of decision making; the protection of women and girls from gender based violence; the prevention of violence against women through the promotion of women’s rights, accountability and law enforcement, and the mainstreaming of gender perspectives in peace operations. Other resolutions: SCR 1820 (2008) - Recognises sexual violence as an international security matter, a tactic of war and adverse to the pursuit of peace and security. The resolution demands that the international community treats violence against women as a security matter – urges justice reform. SCR 1888 (2009) - Builds on the provisions of resolution 1820 and asks the UN Secretary-General to deploy a team of special experts to situations where sexual and gender-based violence is of particular concern. SCR1889 (2009) - Urges renewed measures to improve women’s participation in peace processes and reaffirms the key role women can play in rebuilding war torn communities. Calls for monitoring and indicators.

Defining VAW – as a cause and a consequence of gender inequality  Cause Violence against women is a means of social control. Violence against women and girls maintains unequal power relations between women and men and reinforces women’s subordinate status. It does this by entrenching the idea that women’s lives are worth less than men’s, taking power away from women and giving it to men and restricting how, when and which decisions women can take for themselves. Consequence Violence against women and girls is an abuse of the power imbalance between women and men. Women are at risk of violence because they do not have enough power in society to protect themselves from more powerful men or to access justice. Violence against women and girls is a consequence of structural inequalities that permit – and sometimes encourage – men to abuse women without fear of punishment.

GADN VAW Working Group NameOrganisation Sharon SmeeActionAid UK Bethan CansfieldAmnesty UK Katherine Ronderos / Virginia Lopez Calvo CAWN Lee WebsterCARE International Emily EsplenOne World Action Kanwal Ahluwalia / Keshet BachanPlan Alice Kerr-WilsonSS Direct Mandy MarshallTearfund Rachel Carter / Mairi MacRae WOMANKIND Worldwide Ruth Jacobson Consultant

Baroness Kinnock, the Minister for International VAW March 2010 Minister for International Violence against Women  Announced March 2010  The mandate of the new role included working with DFID, MOD and FCO  Important first for the UK and a significant acknowledgement that ending violence against women and girls should be a foreign policy priority  No appointment to role post- election

Why do we need a Minister for International Violence against Women & Girls? Contribute to the Coalition Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls as a priority foreign policy issue which impacts on diplomatic, development and defence agendas. Provide a dedicated resource to enable consultation with civil society organisations and a comprehensive and co- ordinated approach across the FCO, DFID and MoD (such as leading the implementation of the UK’s National Action Plan on 1325) Create an accountability mechanism for the UK to track delivery on domestic and international targets on eliminating violence against women and girls.