update Foundation for Universal Responsibility of HH The Dalai Lama Vol. 11 No. 1 June 2012 The resumption of secretary-level talks Asia. The workshop provided a unique processes. It organized a roundtable on between India and Pakistan recently, dialogic space for the participants to Women in Conflict Contexts: Voices from promises to improve the strained interact with one another and address Kashmir which provided a safe and relations between the two countries and stereotypes regarding the ‘other’. secure space for women to discuss some offers hope for positive developments of the most contentious issues that Furthermore, carrying forward the work in South Asia. While the resumption of emerged from the street protests in done at its previous roundtables that Track I diplomacy is a significant step, Kashmir in 2010. The roundtable foregrounded issues relating to security, WISCOMP believes that sustainable sought to initiate processes whereby they foreign policy and conflict peace requires inclusive societal change could proactively engage in preventive transformation, a one-day roundtable that moves beyond formal peace tables actions. on Women, Peace and which are largely dominated by men. It Disarmament was organized on the Moreover, in an attempt to reach out especially seeks increased women’s International Day of Peace. The to the community, two new Samanbals participation at all levels while roundtable sought to make a (meeting place) were formed in Srinagar recognizing the contribution they make contribution to alternative and gender- and Jammu. Some members of the to broader peacebuilding processes. sensitive discourse on security in India. Athwaas group initiated the Qalamkaar At the core of WISCOMP’s Samith (Writers’ Group) in Srinagar to In Jammu and Kashmir, the release of engagement is the idea that gender is encourage young writers and address the much awaited interlocutor’s report, everywhere, shaping not only the way contemporary concerns of young proposing a “New Compact” for the we move through the world but also Kashmiris. The Marasim Samanbal in region has triggered a series of public the way we relate to the world and to Jammu was initiated to generate debates. The recommendation to set up each other, in thought and in action, dialogue on issues of contemporary a constitutional committee to review from political representation to cultural relevance to the Jammu region. Going central acts and articles of the Indian into the future, the Samanbal seeks to production. Therefore, in its work this constitution extended to the state after provide a platform for moderate voices year WISCOMP renewed the 1952 has been controversial. However, to promote nonviolent social action. commitment to focus centrally on in line with WISCOMP’s philosophy of gender as it operates in local and global sustained dialogue for social change, the WISCOMP also organized its Fourth culture and society. report proposes peace dialogue between Peace Journalism Workshop in Jammu WISCOMP also engaged youth leaders all stakeholders both at the inter-state in March 2012. The workshop in its various programs as it believes and the intra state levels; in order to introduced the concept of Peace they can play a vital role in societal harmonize relations between people on Journalism to young journalists and change, on different facets of both the sides of the LoC as well as emphasized the need to embrace a peacebuilding and conflict between people from various parts of ‘polygon of perspectives’ in their transformation. The Ninth Annual the Jammu and Kashmir state. reportage. Conflict Transformation Workshop, In the past one year, WISCOMP’s In this edition of Update, we share with titled Gender, Democracy and Athwaas initiative in Jammu and you the proceedings and outcomes of Peacebuilding in South Asia saw the Kashmir organized several dialogues, these events along with latest participation of 40 young professionals seminars and workshops with a view to publications from WISCOMP. and youth leaders from all across South contribute to inclusive dialogue – The WISCOMP Team WISCOMP (Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace) is an initiative of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, New Delhi. The Foundation brings together people of different faiths, creeds, professions and nationalities in a manner that respects and encourages diversity of beliefs and practices and promotes and devises strategies to transform this commitment into an instrument of social change. It works to develop nonviolent methods, improve communication between religion and science, and secure human rights and democratic freedom. KASHMIR Women in Conflict Contexts: Voices from Kashmir – A WISCOMP-Athwaas Roundtable A WISCOMP-Athwaas roundtable titled Women in group and several other women from the Valley who Conflict Contexts: Voices from Kashmir was organised have been part of peace initiatives, met and held at Srinagar on July 30, 2011 to assess the impact of protests discussions. and bandhs (shutdowns) on the everyday life of women and children; analyse the role women played during the The deliberations at the roundtable included discussions street protests of 2010; generate awareness on UN Security not just on the impact of protests on the women but also Council Resolution 1325 and delve into the contribution on their participation; the role of police and armed forces of women to peacefully resolving the conflict in Kashmir in fuelling/quelling the protests and the role of political in the current context.
The peacebuilding goals of Athwaas which include: rebuilding human relationships, individual and
(L-R) Ms Asmat Aijaz, Ms Sheeba Shah, Prof Nusrat Andrabi and Prof Neerja Mattoo parties in breaking the cycle of violence and counter (L-R) Ms Seema Kakran (Assistant Director, WISCOMP), Ms violence by the protestors and armed forces. Ezabir Ali, Ms Roma Wani and Ms Emma Brannlund The following recommendations came out of the community dialogues, reconciliation, solidarity between deliberations: women from different cultural, ethnic, religious and • Women’s organizations like WISCOMP should regional backgrounds, creating common ground and concentrate on issues that few other organisations deepening the democratic processes were severely deal with and avoid politically contentious issues. challenged during the Summer uprising of 2010. The • WISCOMP could act as a driving force to participants at the Roundtable assessed if peacebuilding encourage national and local actors to include efforts of organizations and groups such as Athwaas women in the peace negotiations and monitor towards conflict transformation and quest for peace their progress. somehow remained limiting and evasive in the wake of • Raise awareness about violence against women exploitative and manipulative agendas of the various in its various forms. stakeholders. The Summer Uprising of 2010 seemed to • Start citizen campaigns in support of the Model suggest that political impact of the work that groups such Police Act and the Women’s Reservation Bill. as Athwaas had carried out over the years was limited. Such groups were unable to decisively dent the influence of • Lobby for training and support for the women divisive forces. It was under these circumstances that the elected to the Panchayats.
2 KASHMIR • Strengthen and support the State Commission for • Establish Mohalla Committees where young and Women. old could come together and prepare these • Raise awareness around gender mainstreaming and committees to act as connectors between the lobbying for gender sensitive policy making in the authorities and the people. Legislative Assembly and within the political parties. • Advocate for transparent investigations into the • Take legal recourse through writ petitions and killings of 2010. Public Interest Litigations (PIL) in order to achieve the objectives laid out in the earlier points. However, these were more cumbersome methods and needed to be used sparingly. Nourishing Young Kashmiri Writers: The Qalamkaar Samith
WISCOMP has over the years facilitated the coming the college. Some noted literary enthusiasts from the Valley together of several groups across the state of Jammu and and established writers attended the seminar and shared Kashmir through the Samanbals. The Samanbals are driven their work that addressed contemporary concerns of by the overarching vision to create ‘safe and secure’ spaces Kashmiris. Ms Meera Khanna, a writer from New Delhi for women (in collaboration with men) to come together read out excerpts from her collection of poetry titled If and share, articulate and express themselves so as to heal There be a Paradise: An Anthology of Reflections on and make the shift from victims to survivors to possible change makers. A Samanbal (meeting place) called Qalamkaar Samith (Writers’ Group) was formed in Srinagar in June 2011 with a small membership of twelve writers. The Qalamkaar Samith seeks to use the Samanbal model to encourage the writing potential of young writers by facilitating interactions between members who share a common love for literature and those who enjoy sharing each other’s adventures in the world of letters. The space will also help provide positive criticism to the efforts of the young writers. The group seeks to create awareness about Kashmiri identity, the social, cultural and literary traditions of Kashmir and the important Kashmiri poets and writers especially among students.
The members of the Samith have been meeting regularly Qalamkaar Samith Members with the visiting writer to share their work and to have informal interactions with Prof Naila Ali Khan (standing third from right). writers and artists who visit the Valley. One such interaction Kashmir (2011) at the seminar. The collection covers the was organized on June 30, 2011 where Prof Naila Ali themes of Kashmir, Kashmiriyat and the impact of the Khan of the University of Oklahoma shared her work. conflict. Khanna’s verses were appreciated for powerfully Mr Taha Mughal, a young artist displayed some of his conveying the agony of Kashmiri women’s experience of sketches during the meeting. violence and militarization. With the aim of providing a The first public event organized by the Qalamkaar Samith larger platform to disseminatethe work of the young writers was a Literary Seminar at Women’s College, Srinagar on and other members of the Qalamkaar Samith, WISCOMP September 24th 2011. At the seminar members of the has launched a section on its website titled Vital Voices. Samith shared their work with the student and faculty of
3 KASHMIR Samanbal - Marasim: A Discussion Series Samanbal-Marasim (relations), a discussion series Following summaries provide a glimpse into the issues programme initiated by prominent civil society activists that have been discussed at the Marasim meetings and from Jammu and supported by WISCOMP was started workshops. in April 2011. The members of Samanbal are prominent academics, artists and writers, civil rights activists, conflict Know RTI for no Corruption resolutionaries and retired civil servants. The Samanbal was initiated with a view to fill a void in the Jammu region of On May 1, 2011 a workshop was held by two young platforms where interaction and exchange of ideas can right to information activists, Mr Raman Sharma and take place between those who seek to stay away from Mr Ayaz Mughal, on the use of Right to Information strident and divisive discourses. (RTI) Act to bring transparency to public offices. Their presentation on the use of RTI was followed by a training The first meeting of the Samanbal was held on April 10, of the participants on filing applications and the follow 2011. The meeting was attended by 73 individuals with up procedure. To build a larger constituency for such diverse backgrounds including those from media, positive interactions, some local journalists and RTI academia, art and literature, civil and police bureaucracy, activists, who were not members of the Samanbal- law and accountancy. The participants shared their Marasim, were also invited to this meeting.
The Other Kashmir
A talk on the current situation in Pakistan administered Kashmir was delivered by Mr Zafar Choudhary on June 5, 2011. The talk was tilted ‘The Other Kashmir’ and was based on the findings from a fieldtrip Choudhary had undertaken in May 2011. The thematic areas included in the talk were: politics, administration, culture, education, the relations between Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, business and economy and aspirations of divided families. Discussion on Anna Hazare’s Crusade against Corruption
Members of civil society at the first meeting of the Samanbal- A discussion on Anna Hazare’s Crusade against Marasim. Corruption was held on August 21, 2011, led by Mr Danish Bhatt, a young lawyer. The meeting provided concern over lack of spaces for civil society interactions in an opportunity to the participants to express their views Jammu. Mr Farooq Nazki (noted Litterateur and Media on growing corruption and to voice their concerns Person); Mr Bhushan Parimoo (leading Social and about its role in Jammu and Kashmir. While the Environmental Activist), Prof Rekha Chowdhary participants appreciated the movement against corruption (Professor, Department of Political Science, University of led by Anna Hazare, they disapproved of the means Jammu), Mr Zafar Choudhary (Editor, Epilogue Magazine) adopted by the leaders of the movement who were and Mr Bakhtawar Malik (Development Professional) forcing the government to bring in a legislation. led the discussions. Participants also discussed the divergent responses of Jammu and the Kashmir Valley residents towards the nationwide outcry against corruption.
4 KASHMIR building organization. Cohen was visiting the state as part Jammu: Past and Present of CR’s work in the region. He shared CR’s experience with civil society actors in five conflict zones of the world As part of its efforts to build on the secular character of including Georgia and the Caucuses. Jammu region, the Samanbal organized a talk on July 31, 2011 by eminent art historian from the region and a core Minority Perspectives member of the Samanbal - Prof Lalit Gupta. Describing Jammu region as the northern outpost of Indus Valley Two meetings organized on September 18, 2011 and Civilisation, Prof. Gupta, in his talk tilted ‘Jammu: Past October 23, 2011 were especially designed to give space and Present’ traced the documented history of the for articulation of minority voices within the state. A writer th region to the 14 century. Using textual and architectural and cultural activist, Dr Javaid Rahi, presented a talk on evidence he demonstrated how the different religions had the Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir on September 18, 2011. been introduced and the area had acquired its current He argued that the tribe had been used by the political cultural character. leadership, both within and outside the community, for advancing vested political interests. He gave elaborate statistical data on how the Gujjars had been discriminated against in political representation and employment.
On October 23, 2011 Mr Shahzad Khan, a young political activist, gave an elaborate account of developmental and political neglect of the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. He said that in last 20 years there had not been a single representative from the region in the State Cabinet despite the fact that five of the seven Assembly seats had been regularly represented by the ruling party members since the 1996 elections.
Aina Numa (L-R) Prof Lalit Gupta and Mr Vikram Gour (former Chief Engineer, J&K) at the Samanbal Meeting. On October 9, 2011 with a view to foreground one of the shared languages from yester years - Urdu and to address the current concerns about the decline of literary ‘Sati Sar Ka Sooraj’ and artistic traditions in the Jammu region, the Samanbal had a special meeting on ‘Aina Numa’ a collection of On August 28, 2011, the Samanbal organized a story reading writings by journalist and eminent Parliamentarian of session and discussion, to demystify the notion of Kashmir Mr Shameem Ahmed Shameem. The talk was Kashmiriyat and counter its use for stoking presented by Ms Irm Amin Baig, a Researcher and Urdu communal hostility. Eminent writer Mr Khalid Hussain language enthusiast. read out his short story ‘Sati Sar Ka Sooraj’ which traced the origin, evolution and sacred importance of Kashmiriyat in the Valley.
Learning from Global Experiences
On September 1, 2011 the Samanbal organised a discussion with Mr Jonathan Cohen, Director of Programmes, Conciliation Resources (CR), a London based peace
5 KASHMIR Jammu & Kashmir: A Current Update
On December 11, 2011 members of the the Samanbal- After deliberations the following thematic areas were Marasim and cognoscenti from Jammu and surrounding identified for future action: areas met for a day-long seminar titled, ‘Jammu & Kashmir: A Current Update.’ The seminar was designed • In the cultural domain, promote interactions between for the participants to analyse the current situation in Jammu educational institutions across LOC and at the inter-regional and Kashmir and assess the recent trends in governance level within the State. and human rights. At the concluding session members of Samanbal Marasim brainstormed on ideas for taking their • Engage with issues that are important for the youth and work forward in the coming year. encourage them to participate in Samanbal dialogues.
The panel of speakers at the seminar included: Mr Arun • Contribute towards better local governance through Joshi (Deputy Editor, Hindustan Times), Mr M.M training workshops and capacity building for panchayat Khajuria (Former Director General of Police, Jammu and members (especially women) on Right to Information and Kashmir), Prof Rekha Chowdhary (Professor, Legal Aid. Department of Political Science, University of Jammu), Mr Tahir Aziz (Projects Manager, Conciliation Resources, London), Prof Gull Mohammad Wani (Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Kashmir),
Glimpse of the Seminar held in Jammu & Kashmir.
• Participate in People to People dialogue and counter Mr. M.M. Khajuria, former director general of police of misinformation that is spread by vested interets. The group Jammu & Kashmir speaking at the seminar. sought to achieve this through press releases on meetings. Prof Lalit Gupta (Professor and Eminent Art –historian), Mr Anil Suri (Industrialist and Member of Jammu and • Advocate for women’s participation in peace, dialogue Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Prof and reconciliation process. Also support the demands of Dipankar Sen Gupta (Associate Professor, University of underprivileged and the marginalized groups in the state. Jammu), Prof Ellora Puri (Assistant Professor, University of Jammu), Mr K.D. Maini (Writer and Activist, Poonch) • To make moderate voices more visible through website/ and Mr Shafiq Mir (Member Panchayat, Rajouri). e-journal, peace journals and press releases.
6 KASHMIR Looking Beyond the Traditional Security Paradigm: A Seminar
The conflict in Kashmir today is one which is multi-layered. and connectors between the Pir Panjal population and The intricacy of the conflict situation is defined not only by the rest of the State, the country and South Asia. intermeshing of the external (India-Pakistan) and the internal (Delhi-Srinagar) dimensions but also the intra-state political Eminent scholars of the region including Dr. Javaid Rahi, divergences. Various identity groups that are vying for space (National Secretary, Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation ) Prof. M.B. Magray (Department of Geography, in the districts and which see their interests diverging from Government Degree College, Rajouri), Prof. Mushraf both Jammu city and the Kashmir Valley have developed a Nazir Qureshi (Retired Principal, Government Degree stake in the conflict and its resolution. Each of these groups College, Poonch), Mr. Pankaj Chandan (Head, High faces a different set of problems which are often related to Altitude Wetlands Conservation Programme, WWF-India) the conflict or are compounded by it. Dr. Shujaat Bukhari (Editor-in-Chief, The Rising Kashmir ), Prof. Nazir Qureshi (Department of Arabic, BGSB The twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch, which constitute University) Dr. Ashfaq A. Zarri (Deputy Registrar, BGSB a large part of the Pir Panjal sub-region of Jammu, are an University), Mr K.D. Maini (Editor, Peace Magazine, important part of this intra-state political dynamic. Although, Poonch), Mr Rajiv Khajuria (President, Nationalu this sub-region is geographically and strategically important Development Foundation, Rajouri), Prof. Nisar Rahi (Professor, BGSB University, Rajouri), Prof Lalit Gupta it has largely remained neglected. There is a strong discourse (Professor of History, J&K institute of Music and Fine of marginalization reverberating in the entire Jammu region Arts, University of Jammu) and Mr Ashaq Raza Malik due to the perceived power asymmetry between the Valley (Journalist) attended the seminar. and the rest of the state. People of Rajouri-Poonch feel doubly marginalized as they are not only left behind by the Kashmiri leadership but are also neglected by the Jammu centric leadership within the region.
With a view to gain a more holistic understanding of the current issues that affect the people of the Pir Panjal sub region and especially the people residing in Rajouri and Poonch districts, WISCOMP in collaboration with the Indus Research Foundation (IRF), organized a seminar at the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Campus in Rajouri on February 18, 2012. The seminar brought together about 40 civil society actors from the twin districts to discuss current concerns and articulate responses to the ongoing developments in the Valley. The seminar sought to explore the different aspects of the Gujjar-Pahari inter-group dynamic, analyze the relations between the twin districts and the rest of Participants during a discussion at the conference. Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley, examine the problems that the people living on the border of the Indian state face and explore some of the dividers
7 WORKSHOP
The four day Annual WISCOMP Conflict Transformation Workshop was held from December 1 Gender, Democracy and Pe – 4, 2011 in New Delhi. Titled Gender, Democracy and Peacebuilding in South Asia, the Workshop was qualitatively different from the previous eight dialogues, Ninth Annual Conflict Tran in terms of goals and composition. The Workshop sought to:
• Build trust and strategic relationships between young South Asians from a diversity of cultural, linguistic, ethnic and religious backgrounds; • Enhance professional development in the areas of gender, nonviolence and conflict transformation; • Promote cross-border partnerships for peacebuilding; and • Encourage (L-R) Dr Meenakshi Gopinath (Hon Director, WISCOMP), Amb empathy for diverse Terhi Hakala (Finnish Ambassador to India) and Prof Pratap worldviews among Bhanu Mehta (President, Center for Policy Research) South Asian youth Since 2001, the Conflict Transformation Workshops have leaders. brought together youth leaders (in the age group of 22 - 35 years) from India and Pakistan with a view to empower Drawing on WISCOMP’s work over the last 10 years in the areas of trust and relationship building, coexistence and citizen participation, the Workshop addressed the following questions: Participants with • Are South Asian democracies truly representative of their populations? In what ways can old power imbalances, Prof Vinay Lal (Professor of History, Delhi University) particularly those pertaining to gender, caste and class, be them with the motivation and skills to participate in transformed, at decision-making levels? peacebuilding. This year, WISCOMP broadened the • How do we move beyond the conception of democracy Workshop composition to include 40 young professionals as one that simply involves the casting of an electoral vote, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka (in or worse still, an exercise in getting popular sanction for addition to India and Pakistan). Tibetan, Burmese and elite rule? Afghan youth based in Delhi represented refugee voices • How might democratic practice expand the base of public and those displaced by conflict. The participants also dialogue on a diverse range of social and justice issues? represented diverse social, political and professional Further, how might the base of economic prosperity be backgrounds. broadened to include historically disadvantaged and marginalized groups?
8 WORKSHOP eacebuilding in South Asia nsformation Workshop 2011 • What efforts have regional organizations and mechanisms such as SAARC made to prevent and reduce armed violence as well as less visible forms of violence such as hunger, poverty and high maternal and child mortality rates? • What are some of the options that the field of peacebuilding offers for enriching the processes of democratic governance, particularly at the local level? How might we strive to make peacebuilding frameworks and vocabulary an integral part of democratic practice? (L-R) Dr Mallika Joseph (Director, Institute for Peace and The sessions Conflict Studies), Ms Binalakshmi Nepram (Secretary-General, were a Control Arms Foundation of India), Mr Ravinder Pal Singh (Defense Analyst) and Ms Sonal Marwah (Project Coordinator, combination of Small Arms Survey) different formats, including lectures, panel roles and gender identities – currently reflected in rigid and discussions, disempowering conceptions of masculinity and femininity roundtables, – was central to the transformation of armed conflicts, and elicitive which permeate into the home as well. While several sessions workshops, looked at this issue, the dialogue with resource persons and drew on a Ms Kamla Bhasin (Co-founder & Advisor, SANGAT) diverse range and Ms Irene Santiago (CEO, Mindanao Commission of media such on Women) sought to address this question head-on. as music, theatre and Broadly, the dialogue focused on five thematic issues: • The Relationship between Peace and Democracy the WISCOMP team. • Gender, Armed Violence and Peacebuilding cinema. The lectures introduced the academic discourse • Secular and Spiritual Perspectives on Gender on concepts such as gender, democracy, peace and security, Equity and Peace the panel discussions and roundtables investigated their • Gandhi and the Democratic Imagination functioning and efficacy on the ground by engaging with • Pedagogy for Conflict Transformation: Theatre, case studies. These were followed by elicitive workshops Cinema and Music that looked at how popular media and culture address gender relations and social/political/familial conflicts in The closing session titled Imagining South Asia 2020 provided South Asia. a context for the participants to map the interface between gender, peace and democracy in their vision of South Asia. While conflicts ranging from the political and economic to those based on cultural, religious and linguistic differences were addressed by the South Asian participants, gender formed the fulcrum of the Workshop dialogue. There was a discernible consensus that an engagement with gender
9 WORKSHOP Reporting on Conflict: A Peace Journalist’s Frame
The Fourth WISCOMP Peace Journalism Workshop titled In the subsequent lecture titled Peace Journalist’s Frame, Reporting on Conflict: A Peace Journalist’s Frame was participants were introduced to the field of peace held on March 27, 2012 in Jammu. journalism and provided an overview of the institutional and structural reality of the Indian mediaspace. The panel Since 2007, the Peace Journalism workshops have brought together young journalists and media students from across discussion on Promise and Perils of Reporting from Jammu and Kashmir to interact with experts and build Jammu and Kashmir explored the practical challenges of linkages between media and peacebuilding. The workshops linking media and peacebuilding in Jammu and Kashmir. have sought to create an open space to interrogate and assess the principles of peace journalism and what they could An interactive module on Peace Journalism and Conflict offer to the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Theory created a context for the participants to engage in Recognizing that the peace journalism approach can provide reflective practice on reporting using content analysis and a set of enabling tools for the journalists in a situation of simulation of the newsroom. It also initiated an enquiry conflict, the workshops have underscored the importance into the tools of conflict analysis and offered space for of making the process organic and not top-down. sharing insights from the field of conflict transformation The resource persons at the Fourth Workshop included: and peacebuilding. Dr Arun Joshi (Jammu and Kashmir Bureau Chief, Hindustan Times), Mr. Bashir Manzar (Editor, The Kashmir Many participants expressed that the workshop was a Images, Srinagar), Mr. Ahmed Ali Fayyaz (Srinagar Bureau unique opportunity for them to interact with senior Chief/Resident Editor, The Early Times), Mr. Tahir Mohi- journalists. The senior journalists in turn expressed that they ud-din (Editor, Chattan), Ms. Subi Chaturvedi (Assistant felt enriched by the discussions and felt reassured that their Professor, Department of Journalism & Communication, concerns were shared by other journalists from the State. Lady Shri Ram College), Dr. Shujaat Bukhari (Editor-in- The workshop reinvigorated their resolve to stay away from Chief, The Rising Kashmir), Ms. Shreya Jani (Managing war journalism and focus on developmental issues that can Trustee, Standing Together to Enable Peace Trust), Mr. Zafar Choudhary (Honorary Director, Indus Research contribute towards peace in the region. Foundation) and Mr. Pradeep Dutta (Bureau Chief, Times Now, Jammu).
This year’s Workshop brought together 20 young journalists from diverse media backgrounds from Jammu and Kashmir. The Workshop created an open, non-hierarchical space for young entrants to interact with senior journalists.
The opening panel at the workshop titled Assessing Coflict Coverage in Jammu and Kasmir sought to build an understanding of the state of media in the state and the (L - R) Mr. Bashir Manzar, Mr. Tahir Mohi-ud-din, Dr. Arun quality of coverage in English and Vernacular Press as well Joshi, Mr. Ahmed Ali Fayyaz as electronic media.
10 WORKSHOP
Bijbehara Samanbal: Helpline-NGO – Engaging Youth in Social Activism
Participants at the Workshop on Violence against Women.
Humanity welfare organization Helpline in Jammu and Kashmir works for the empowerment of disabled. After On December 22, 2011 Helpline organized a workshop participating in a number of workshops organized by the on violence against women for the group at its office in WISCOMP over a period of time, Helpline staff has Bijbehara. At the workshop, the participants narrated their actively sought to include young women in its work. The experiences of violence at the family and the community organization in consultation with WISCOMP formed a levels. The workshop was a new experience for many of group in 2003 with more than 30 members (school and the participants who shared that they had joined such a college going) who regularly assembled at the organization discussion for the first time. They expressed that such office to discuss the problems faced by women. Domestic opportunities for expressing their views on serious issues violence experienced by women and issues of communal were rare. The members who were previously associated harmony in Kashmir were part of these discussions. with the Samanbal highlighted the importance of the Samanbal and briefed the new members about the activities Since early 2010 the environment in the state became hostile of the Samanbal. They acknowledged that the Samanbal to the free movement of young girls, also many of the boosted their self-confidence as they started to see members moved on to take up jobs and the activities of themselves as bearers of rights. Previously they thought the Samanbal could not be sustained on a regular basis for of themselves as bearers of responsibilities and duties as about a year and a half. However, efforts to reintegrate they learnt within the family that it was not woman-like to the group were taken from September 2011 onwards with talk of rights. The group decided to continue the some of the old members meeting to discuss the possibility interactions and at the next meeting discuss how they can of motivating others to join the Samanbal. Success was more actively engage in their communities and raise achieved in this regard as a small number of young women awarness about violence against women. expressed interest in becoming members of the group. The group met with a view to help each other with assignments that are part of the computer training they have undertaken at Helpline.
11 ROUNDTABLE Women, Peace and Disarmament: A Roundtable Honouring Women-Led Initiatives for Peace and Humanitarian Disarmament Efforts in India As part of its Education for Peace initiative WISCOMP guns, the Roundtable sought to present an alternative and organized a roundtable in collaboration with United Nations gender-sensitive discourse on security in India. Information Centre and the Control Arms Foundation of India at New Delhi on September 21st 2011. Titled Women, The speakers at the roundtable included Air Commodore Peace and Disarmament, the roundtable provided a (retd) Jasjit Singh (Director, Centre for Air Power platform for young entrants to the peacebuilding field to Studies), Prof Anuradha Chenoy (School of interact with experts It was attended by over 40 students International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University), Ms and researchers from various universities in Delhi and several Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, (Director, UN Information academics and civil society activists from across India. They Centre for India and Bhutan), Prof Susheela Bhan reflected upon the importance of women’s involvement in (Director, The Institute of Peace Research and Action), disarmament and the need for India to take a lead in Mr Ravinder Pal Singh (Defence Analyst and Former disarmament efforts around the world. The participants Project Leader on Arms Procurement, Stockholm also commemorated the International Peace Day. International Peace Research Institute), Dr Roshmi Goswami (Senior Consultant, UN Women), Dr Tasneem Meenai (Director, Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace & Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia), Ms Binalakshmi Nepram, (Secretary General, CAFI), and young representatives from groups such as the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network (MWGSN).
The speakers in their presentations covered a wide range of topics like issues of masculinity and militarization and their effects on society, women’s experiences in armed conflicts, India’s role in the negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty, UNSCR 1325+ and its ramifications for South Asia among others.
(L-R) Ms Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, Air Commodore (retd) Jasjit The participants came up with recommendations for Singh, Prof Anuradha Chenoy and Dr Roshmi Goswami at the both government and the civil society. Opening Panel The following steps were suggested for civil society The day’s panels moved from understanding the history of activists: disarmament in independent India, to specifically exploring disarmament efforts by women in India, and finally to • Need for forging alliances between peace building and looking at possible alliances for peace. women’s organizations.
Amidst an environment of militarization and arms • Greater involvement of women parliamentarians, proliferation, whereby India now ranks second amongst administrators, academicians, media and corporate 178 countries in terms of the number of privately owned leaders in security issues. • Lobby the Indian government to adopt the Mine-ban Treaty and a comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty. Continued on page 15
12 LECTURE New Frontiers in Peace Education
WISCOMP collaborated with the Department of not just physical in nature. She averred that ‘peace is a design Elementary Education, Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi problem,’ and that violence lies not necessarily with to organize a lecture by peace education expert Professor individuals, but with the institutions which allow Betty A. Reardon on March 17, 2011. The lecture was individuals to get away with violent acts. Therefore, attended by aspiring educators and peace activists. peace education must ultimately work towards reforming institutions and social structures that perpetrate violent Professor Reardon opened the lecture by recounting her messages and actions. involvement in peace education and feminist activism over four decades. She touched upon several key themes, She then delved into the connection between peace education including the relation between women’s education and and gender equality. She said that current societal attitudes human rights, the role of educated women and the have developed because men and women have been taught need for ‘redefining power’. over time to value men more than women. Therefore, Reardon noted that, in addition to feminist scholars and In order to ‘demark’ new frontiers for women’s roles in activists, peace educators need to examine societal conflict management and peace, she used two reference formulations and propagation of masculinity, in order points. With Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, to fully understand why men think the way they do and Peace, and Security as the starting point for the audience, how educators can help change such attitudes. she stated that her goal for them was a UN Charter Amendment Number One by 2040, which would require In this regard the relevance of getting women involved in 40% representation of women in all UN bodies, ‘every security matters was crucial, since women tend to view the commission, every agency, every delegation’. concept of security very differently than men. Simplifying the complex connections between militarization and Urging the peace activists and educators to think critically masculinity for the young audience, she noted that when about the future, Reardon posed a series of questions to conflict erupts, men tend to emphasize “how can I defend consider ways in which they could create ‘useful’ myself from the evil outsiders”, whereas women tend to interventions for social change and justice. She opined that make decisions based on what would keep their families ‘there isn’t just one future,’ and that all activists and educators united and their communities intact. She stated that this working for peace need to question the world around contrasting reaction during conflict signifies a difference in them and identify the future that they would like to create. how men and women view the responsibility that comes At the same time, she warned against the ‘probable future’ with power and leadership. She said, if the ‘evil outsiders’ that was likely, if people decided to not alter the course are just as worried about you as you are about them, then the world was taking – a course that was set for violence women’s approach to responsibility during conflict is much and minimal global responsibility. Professor Reardon then more likely to produce ideas that could resolve the conflict emphasized the importance of strategic planning, which in an efficient, non-violent manner. Once again, Professor she considered to be the very crux of peace education. Reardon pointed out that such solutions required a great She defined the purpose of peace education as “working amount of creativity and analytical ability and concluded toward trying to help learners to develop critical awareness, with the hope that the educators would catalyze this creative to develop skills for analysis and assessment.” process in themselves, their students and those around them. Reardon provided an expansive definition of a violent act. She noted that “any intentional avoidable harm that could be done any other way, and isn’t, is violence.” Violence, she observed, can be economic or social, and
13 WISCOMP PUBLICATIONS
Seema Kakran, Competing Realities: Identity, Culture Binalakshmi Nepram Mentschel, Women’s Role in and Dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, Building Micro-Disarmament in India’s North East, Constituencies of Peace: Stakeholders in Dialogue WISCOMP Discussion Paper 21 (2011) XIX (2011) To assess some of the This monograph explores existing perceptions about the impact of small arms in the conflict in Kashmir, a the states of Northeast, consultative workshop was especially on women and organized by WISCOMP the nexus between arms on November 18-19, 2010 proliferation, drug at New Delhi. This report trafficking and insurgent is based on the proceedings movements in this border of the workshop and a area. The research provides follow up consultation that a brief history of women’s was held in New Delhi on networks in the Northeast March 2, 2011. state such as Manipur’s Meira Paibis and investigates whether ‘micro- disarmament’ can be used to reignite passion among women’s groups and build a positive force within Manipuri civil society that can fight small arms proliferation. Seema Kakran and Rashi Sarawgi, Women in Conflict Contexts: Voices from Jammu and Kashmir, Building Anuradha M. Chenoy, Countering Militarization Constituencies of Peace: Stakeholders in Dialogue Building Peace ,The Intersectionality of SCR 1325 XX (2011) and the Responsibility to Protect, WISCOMP A WISCOMP - Athwaas (2012) Roundtable titled Women in Conflict Contexts: Voices from The series Revisioning and Kashmir was organized at EnGendering Security: Srinagar on July 30, 2011 Gender and Non to assess the impact of Traditional Aspects of protests and bandhs Security in South Asia, (shutdowns) on the aims to contribute to a everyday life of women and children, analyze the corpus of knowledge role women played during around the manner in the protests of 2010, which gender and “non- generate awareness on UN traditional” security Security Council Resolution concerns intersect in South 1325 and delve into the Asia. This monograph contribution of women to looks specifically at the peacefully resolving the conflict in Kashmir. This report is based on the deliberations at the roundtable. challenges that UNSCR 1325 and Responsibility to Protect encounter in the region.
14 WISCOMP PUBLICATIONS
Manjrika Sewak, Gender, Democracy, and Peace Continued from page 12 building in South Asia, Ninth Annual Conflict Women, Peace and Disarmament Transformation Workshop, A Report (December 2011) • To conduct empirical research so that advocacy can be more forceful and to develop indicators whereby The Conflict disturbed areas can be identified and progress monitored. Transformation Program • Identifying gender specific conflict and security sector of WISCOMP comprises reform issues. a series of workshops which facilitate dialogue • Using prominent voices to campaign for demining on between young people the LoC. from across conflict divides in South Asia. This report documents the discussions and activities that took place during the Ninth Annual Conflict Transformation Workshop.
Caitlin Delehanty, New Frontiers in Peace Education, WISCOMP (2011)
This publication is based Roundtable participant, Ms Inshah Malik makes a comment on the leactures and during the discussion. discussions by peace education expert • Participants at the Roundtable also made some specific Professor Betty A. policy recommendations including: Reardon. The lecture titled New Frontiers in Peace • Greater and more meaningful participation of women Education was organized in peace negotiations and discussions on disarmament by WISCOMP in • Need for greater understanding of the complex relations collaboration with the between India-Pakistan and India-China. In order to help Department of India formulate a security doctrine that encompasses Elementary Education, human security. Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. • The ATT must have provisions which hold governments accountable for the arms they produce, tracking of weapons, and to stop weapon transfers to high risk countries.
15 END NOTE
FUR WISCOMP WISCOMP TRUSTEES ADVISORY BOARD CONSULTATIVE Isher Judge Ahluwalia COMMITTEE Kiran Bedi Kanti Bajpai H.H. The Dalai Lama I P Khosla Kamla Bhasin Chairman, Board of Trustees Satish Kumar Urvashi Butalia Chhime R. Chhoekyapa Surjit Mansingh Anuradha Chenoy Shekhar Gupta Dalip Mehta Tendzin Choegyal Malavika Karlekar Mrinal Pande Rajiv Mehrotra Ritu Menon Vibha Parthasarathi Trustee/Secretary Poonam Mutreja Aruna Roy Deepa Ollapally Leila Seth C Raja Mohan Vandana Shiva B G Verghese
WISCOMP UPDATE is the newsletter of Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace. WISCOMP is an initiative of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, New Delhi. We see our role as creating the space to ‘engender’ an inclusive, conceptual vocabulary on issues of peace and security. WISCOMP works to facilitate the participation and leadership of women in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and to leverage support for this at the national, regional and international levels.
FUR –WISCOMP TEAM Rajiv Mehrotra (Founding Trustee & Secretary, FUR) ANNOUNCEMENT Thupten Tsewang (Manager, FUR) It gives us pleasure to share with you that WISCOMP was one Harish C. Bhatt (Accounts & Admin. Officer) of the 25 winners of Stories of Peace Challenge organised by Jangchup Lingpa (Asst. Manager, Program FUR) Peace Portal. WISCOMP’s story ‘Face-to-Face: Transforming Conflict Tsering Dorjee (Asst. Manager, Administration FUR) in South Asia’ has been published in a book titled People Building Peace 2.0. Devender Kumar (Office Assistant) The Peace Portal is an initiative of the GPPAC Foundation (Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict), Meenakshi Gopinath (Hon. Director, WISCOMP) supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs Seema Kakran (Assistant Director, WISCOMP)) and the City of The Hague. Manjrika Sewak (Senior Program Officer, WISCOMP) Ipshita Ghosh (Consultant, WISCOMP) Sree Kumari V. (Jr. Program Assistant)
WISCOMP Foundation for Universal Responsibility of HH The Dalai Lama Core 4A, Upper Ground Floor, India Habitat Center, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003, India Tel: 91-11-24648450 • Telefax: 91-11-24648451 Email: [email protected] • Website: www.wiscomp.org
For Private Circulation only. 16