Security

"Women who don't obey will be punished'' written on a wall in Basra, Iraq

The term security

Both men and women experience threats and violence during conflicts. But they are subjected to different types of threats because their life situations differ. Creating security in a society is one of the cornerstones of sustainable peace. Despite this, the connection between the security of the individual and state security has always been weak. The security threat against women is seldom mentioned in the security policy debate.

Internationally, security policy has focused on states, geographical borders, military means and solutions. Less thought is put into minimising the threat to individuals. This has been regarded as state responsibility only and has not been prioritised in an international perspective.

In recent years the UN and other international actors have begun to realise that the lack of personal security greatly contributes to the worsened security situation in the world, for states as well their citizens. Poverty, hunger and the dismantling of human rights are contributory factors to the escalation in violence in different regions and contexts, regardless of whether or they have previously been in conflict or not. When violence becomes an accepted way to solve problems, instability and insecurity increases, along with a feeling of powerlessness. This in turn leads to a security threat both nationally and to bordering states.

Early warning - the importance of redefining the term security

The UN regards the terms security and development as being inseparable. Without one, the other does not take place either. Terms like human security, which is based on the individual, have been adopted. Human security means freedom from hunger, sickness, crime and submission. It also means being protected from sudden threatening incidents in our daily lives, regardless of whether they occur in our homes, at work or in our neighbourhood.

Regarding individuals as a homogenous group means we miss the specific security threats that affect different groups. We have to study groups as men and women, boys and girls separately to discover the specific security threats. This is the only way to overcome difficult and complicated problems. One clear example is that men are subjected to violence in public places while women are mostly subjected to domestic violence.

Violence against women increases in unstable societies. Increased occurrences of gender-related violence should therefore function as an early warning system that a region is near a conflict. The international community needs to identify violence against women as an international security threat in order to prevent conflicts re-emerging at an early stage.

In 2000, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Among other things, it established that the international community must observe, and take special consideration to, the vulnerable situation of women during war, and the UN member states must urge the involvement of women in the peacebuilding and conflict resolution process.

Security threat to women in conflict regions

In war and conflict regions, violence often increases because war normalises violence as a problem-solving method. Domestic violence increases along with violence against women, and children suffer due to abuse by parents.

During and after a conflict the mortality rate increases among women who are abused by their husbands.  One reason for this is the large arsenal of light firearms that people own.  The large numbers of light firearms unstabilises society. In some cases more women die in the post-conflict period due to the light firearms than during the war itself. Therefore, it is vital to include women in disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes

during a post-conflict. Women who stayed in their communities during the war quite often know where weapons are stashed when hostilities end. In addition, many women are used as arms smugglers because they are not as suspect due to being women. 

According to Amnesty International, at least a third of all women in the world are subjected to gross violence at some time during their lives. They are subjected because they are women. Sexualised violence, regardless of whether it takes place in peacetime or during war, is used to discriminate and dominate. During war, mass rape is used as a weapon and war strategy to dominate and humiliate entire ethnic groups.

Participation facilitates security and vice versa

In most conflict regions there are women's organisations working to increase women's participation in society, politics and peace talks. This is because gender plays a significant role in the distribution of food, accommodation, money, healthcare, the access to legal rights, and political participation. Having access to power and resources also increases women's security.

Societal participation and security go hand in hand. Being a responsible citizen also requires a measure of security. If a threat against an individual or group is too large, there is no possibility of influencing the agenda or society in general.  When all groups participate equally in a society it improves the chances of achieving long-term and sustainable peace. It is a democracy and human rights issue. It is also an issue of the right to a future regardless of gender.

Freedom of movement

Fully participating in society requires women and girls having the same possibility of moving freely as boys and men. In many places, the freedom of movement for women and girls is restricted with the reasoning that their safety cannot be guaranteed. The problem is actually the reverse.