Female Combatants, Peace Process and the Exclusion

Las Farianas: Reintegration of former female FARC fighters as a driver for peace in Colombia

“…The process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) is considered an essential stage for the successful implementation of a civil war peace agreement. The main aim is to contribute to the security of post-conflict settings by supporting the transition of former combatants from the military to the civilian life and providing them with the necessary tools to become active participants in the peace process (Shekhawat & Bishnu, 2015;UN, 2006;UNDP, 2002). The United Nations emphasize that DDR "has repeatedly proved to be vital to stabilizing a post-conflict situation, to reducing the likelihood of renewed violence" (UN, 2000b, p. 1).…”

“…In the Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, adopted by the Security Council in 2000, the United Nations recognized the importance of gender justice as a crucial factor to social transformation after conflict (UN, 2000a, p. 5). Indeed, conflict is not gender neutral (Shekhawat & Bishnu, 2015), it is a "gendered activity: women and men have different access to resources, power and decision making before, during and after conflicts. The experience of women and men in situations of tension, war and post-conflict reconstruction is significantly different" (Council of Europe, 2004, para.…”

“…In the literature on DDR in general, the argument is made that it does not matter how female combatants came to a group (by their own free will, abduction or force), they generally are neglected during the DDR processes, and they are rarely considered for leadership during the reconstruction (see Rehn & Sirleaf, 2002;Shekhawat, 2015;Shekhawat & Bishnu, 2015; Zirion Landaluze, 2012). Therefore, many female combatants find it difficult to reintegrate into civilian communities, specifically in social terms, and they receive little support (see UN, 2006;UNDP, 2002;Zirion Landaluze, 2012).…”