Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace: Scholar of Peace Fellowship

Women in Dialogue: Breaking New Ground

A two-day convention Women in Dialogue: Envisioning the Road Ahead in Jammu and Kashmir, organized by WISCOMP on August 5 and 6, 2006, in New Delhi was the outcome of a conscious decision on the part of WISCOMP to acknowledge and work with the constituency of women peacemakers in Kashmir.

The convention brought together 65 participants from the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, in order to facilitate a dialogue foregrounding gender and civil society engagement. Within the Indian administered part of Jammu and Kashmir, there has been an attempt to initiate talks with the so-called separatists represented by the Hurriyat Conference since 2003. The roundtable conference called by the Prime Minister, in Srinagar on May 24 and 25, 2006, was envisioned as part of this process of engaging with different stakeholders within Jammu and Kashmir. The inclusions and exclusions at this roundtable have been the subject of heated discussions and debates. Women have been conspicuous only by their absence in the dialogic processes that are now unfolding in Jammu and Kashmir.

Breaking the Silence: Women in Kashmir Roundtable

Athwaas

Women Reporting Conflict Roundtable

Women in Dialogue: Envisioning the Road Ahead in Jammu and Kashmir

Exploring Peace Journalism: A Workshop

The convention set out to do the following:

Identify and critically engage with the existing conceptual and methodological frameworks within which the current peace process in Jammu and Kashmir is located.
Contribute proactively to the ongoing dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir by placing women’s perspectives squarely on the table.
Assess the impact of using the alphabet of gender to shape the dialogue process.
Strengthen the community of women peacebuilders in Kashmir

The convention grappled with the concerns: What do the women of Jammu and Kashmir see as the road ahead? Where, if at all, do they locate themselves in the larger peace process that is unfolding? What have been their experiences of the armed conflict and how can this experience shape prospective peace processes? The session Envisioning New Roles for Women brought forth different perspectives on women’s engagement in the peace process. The panelists:

urged women to develop political consciousness and shun apathy;
called for inclusive dialogues which move beyond patriarchal frameworks;
foregrounded the importance of respect for human rights, secularism and equal opportunities for all.

One of the main components of the workshop was the organization of participants into four working groups, each of which discussed and put forth recommendations for the following areas:

Politics, Law and Governance: Alternative Pathways

The working group on ‘Politics Law and Governance’ called for ease of communication and travel across the LoC; zero tolerance for violence of any kind, by any party; strengthening of the State Human Rights Commission; regular interactions on the lines of the jansunvai between the public and the working groups constituted by the Prime Minister’s roundtable; and rehabilitation for widows and half widows across the state. Women should throw their weight behind any initiative across the LoC that promotes better people-to-people interaction rather than restricting themselves to gender-specific initiatives. It was also suggested that there should be a clear articulation from civil society that the Kashmiri Pundits are welcome to come back in small groups to their places of habitation and worship.

Women, Development and Economic Empowerment: Alternative Pathways

The group highlighted the need to encourage entrepreneurship through micro-credit schemes, facilitate skill-building to make women self-reliant, and ensure access to appropriate market channels.

Cultural Initiatives for Peace and Reconciliation: Alternative Pathways

Deliberating on cultural initiatives, the third group recommended a revival of the ethos of Kashmiriyat; promotion of indigenous arts and crafts; establishment of community centers for women; and introduction of comparative religion as a subject of study in educational institutions.

Health and Psychosocial Healing

The fourth group emphasized the development of health infrastructure; integration of mental and general health services; and counseling and sensitization to stress and trauma- related problems.

The convention opened dialogic conversations between civil society, policy makers and administrators.

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