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ABAAD: UNSCR 1325 and the Syrian Crisis

23 May 2013

Since September 2012, ABAAD has been actively engaged in responding to the plight of Syrian women and young girls refugees in Lebanon. In designing its emergency plan, ABAAD has incorporated UNSCR 1325, where the protection of women and girls’ human rights during conflict/post conflict and the prevention of GBV were the major hinge, around which our interventions were designed.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence

ABAAD has an extensive experience in working in addressing GBV in emergency settings. To date, the majority of programs addressing GBV among Syrian refugees provided by international and local organizations have emphasized the response—that is, caring for survivors after the violence has occurred. While it is critical to ensure that all survivors have access to essential care and services, it is as important to pay much greater attention to programs that help prevent GBV from occurring in the first place.

Prevention Strategies

As part of its prevention strategy, ABAAD offers group therapy sessions targeting vulnerable Syrian men and boys whether perpetrators, or witnesses of violence, or those who have lost means to take care of their families, or are GBV survivors, or at risk. During its pilot phase, an estimated number of 30 men and boys will be targeted through available and functioning community centers in each relevant community especially those managed by ABAAD partners like IMC and IRC. Men and boys will gain tools on how to enhance their resilience and adaptation strategies vis-à-vis the tough situation they are living in and eventually decrease the risk of using violence to cope with stress. Beneficiates will be provided with venue for a much needed emotional expression which is the most important step in overcoming trauma and beginning a pathway towards psychological wellbeing and reducing risk of using violence in spousal/family relationship. This will also result in their feeling of relief.

Continuous work other partners

As an intervention mechanism, ABAAD has conducted a rapid assessment on GBV among Syrian women and girls’ refugees, in partnership with IRC. Moreover, ABAAD in partnership with IRC has opened two Women & Girls community centers in the Bekaa and the North. Currently, ABAAD’s case management teams are providing an average of 80 case management services and psychological and psychiatric consultations per month.  Furthermore, ABAAD with the support of DRC, UNHCR & UNICEF is establishing three Transition Mid-way houses in the South, North and Beqaa for provision of emergency housing for women & children victims of SGBV.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.

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