The role of women in peace-building

Former CRL Commissioner Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva believes there is a need to look at the role of women within the family and their communities to stabilise the country.

“As a nation, we are looking at the role of women in stabilising our country,” she said.

She said that as women, they need to seek solutions and establish a role they can play in dealing with issues of violence in the country. “All these challenges need us to fight peacefully, to curb the scourge.”

Mkhwanazi-Xaluva chaired a discussion in which four women from the Women Wage Peace (WWP) organisation engaged in a conversation with local people.

Local women from different social, cultural and religious backgrounds engaged with representatives from the WWP and share their experiences among South Africans and Israeli women.

The event was held by South African Jewish Board of Deputies and the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation in the spirit of Women’s Month. The aim was also to allow women to learn more about the work of WWP, a grass-roots organisation that includes 40 000 women from across the political and religious divide in Israel.

All these women are united in their belief that women have an essential role to play in peace-building and conflict resolution.

According to Manar Abu Dahl, seeking a solution and learning other people’s languages is the first step in peace-building.

The 33-year-old Arab Muslim (Bedouin) woman who leads an initiative which strengthens her faith in peace – Camps for Israeli Youth – Jewish and Arab – together with Palestinian Youth from the West Bank, believes in a future of healthy mutual acquaintance without prejudice and stigma.

She was one of the four women who participated in an inter-faith event at the Women’s Jail in Constitution Hill on Tuesday, 6 August. “Language is very important in peace-building. We need to start the process that will give us a solution,” said Abu Dahl.

Another delegate from the WWP Hyam Tannous, an Arab Christian woman, said women need to be in roles that allow them to make key decisions.

She said this could prevent conflicts and wars that are happening in the world.

Some of the representatives from WWP included Yasmin Rubin Cooper who spent her life working towards social change and peace in Israel and Palestine and Vered Eyal Saldinger who currently works as an environmental consultant, co-managing an industrial symbiosis initiative in northern Israel.

Details: South African Jewish Board of Deputies 011 645 2523.

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