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The movers, shakers and peacemakers of WILPF Togo

The WILPF movement continues to gather pace with the introduction of a new group: WILPF Togo. By taking a multipronged approach and engaging all actors of Togo’s society, the feminist peacebuilders of the group seek to establish a culture of peace in their homeland.

Image credit: WILPF
WILPF International Secretariat
12 February 2020

The WILPF movement continues to gather pace with the introduction of a new group: WILPF Togo. By taking a multipronged approach and engaging all actors of Togo’s society, the feminist peacebuilders of the group seek to establish a culture of peace in their homeland.  

Currently, the factors disturbing this prospect of peace exist in a variety of forms. 

the silhouette of Togo

Located between Ghana and Benin, Togo’s borders have been described as porous and vulnerable to external influences. In recent years, fears have started to rise about the spillover of violent extremism into Togo from West Africa. Moreover, 60 percent of Togo’s population of 7.18 million people live in rural areas. Of the rural population, some 70 percent live in poverty and the access to secondary and tertiary education is sparse. The brunt of this burden disproportionately falls on women and other marginalised persons of society, including children and youth. 

These are exactly what WILPF Togo sees as the “root causes of violence, terrorism and extremism,” tells Bassiratou Idrissou-Traoré, the group’s President. While the image may seem bleak, it should not be considered separate to the positive forces such as these 10 members (and counting!) ready to drive change.

Where to start?

The WILPF Togo group came to life through networks of women united in their ambition for peace. Bassiratou shared with us her perspective into how the group found its footing. 

At a workshop for peacebuilding, Bassiratou happened to strike up conversation with Feu Botre. He was working as part of the UN Regional Centre for Disarmament and Peace, and had come across WILPF through Sylvie Ndongmo, the President of WILPF Cameroon. Ideas quickly set into motion and one month later, Bassiratou was in contact with Sylvie as well as Régina Ouattara, the President of the WILPF Burkina Faso group. Hearing the inspiring stories of women’s peacebuilding efforts through WILPF Sections across the continent, Bassiratou was set in her determination that a similar initiative could be started in Togo. 

Next, Bassiratou recalls a “breathless” process, with constant back and forth between herself, the WILPF International Secretariat and women encouraging her along the way. She met on several occasions with women across Togo who were already working on the theme of peace, security and UN Security Council resolution 1325. 

It turned out Bassiratou was not the only one with the idea – Pilakani Chantal Faya had previously been in touch with WILPF to inquire about setting up a group in May of the same year. The two women met on 13 August 2019, and spent hours discussing their shared passion for peace. Bassiratou remembers this fondly, a meeting of kindred spirits.  

Not more than a few weeks later, WILPF Togo was born. The group now comprises women from all across Togo, including the Savanes, Maritime, Kara and central regions. And as for the Plateaux region, Bassiratou says that registration slips have been sent out and the group is waiting for their return. This will be a group to represent all women of Togo, not just the few.

Dreaming big

Setting up WILPF Togo was only the start … the group’s members are now thinking about what steps to take towards the future. Their vision is that of a Togo where communities live together in harmony and approach their differences with compassion and tolerance. This is befitting a country with some 40 ethnic groups and a population slowly approaching 8 million people.  

Where conflicts may occur, WILPF Togo’s peacebuilders seek to establish an early-warning mechanism for their detection. To do so will require consistent dialogue between “state, non-state and grassroots actors and communities,” Bassiratou recognises. In the prevention, management and regulation of conflicts broadly, the group will advocate for women’s crucial role to play in each element. This is essential to eradicating violence in all its forms and entrenching the peaceful conditions necessary for development – an understanding WILPF has stood for since its inception. 

Thinking of the various groups in Togolese society, Bassiratou states that the most vulnerable are too readily being lured into the “webs of extremist violence.” The rise in radicalised youth and women comes as an unfortunate by-product of the widespread nature of poverty and lack of opportunities for those without access to education. WILPF Togo wants to address the issue in practice by finding means for women and young people to achieve financial independence and tending to the needs of abandoned orphans.

Manifesto of WILPF Togo against violence before, during and after elections

Preparing for elections

The concerns of the group presently are the elections which are due to take place on 22 February 2020. In the past, the election period has stirred troubles, with post-electoral disputes and outbreaks of violence. These moments of turbulence should not be taken lightly. They have damaging impacts on “national cohesion and the ability to live together as peaceful citizens,” posing risks to the development of Togo. 

Bassiratou states that it is important to not lose sight of how security challenges in Togo’s neighbouring countries – including violent extremism, deadly attacks and abuse by armed jihadist groups – have made the lives of populations uneasy. “We don’t want to go through hell and deadly heartbreak at home,” she says.

But members of WILPF Togo have come prepared. They have gone from schools to mosques to remind people of the virtues of peace, tolerance and non-violence. Standing next to traffic lights and waiting for a red light, you can find Togo’s feminist peacebuilders passing flyers of peace to anyone willing to give them a chance. 

While the avenues that the WILPF Togo Group embarks on remain to be seen, these first steps are already positive indications of a bright future to come. Here’s to a very warm welcome to our new members of the WILPF community!

If you are keen to get in touch with our feminist peacebuilders in Togo, you can say hello by emailing wilpftogo (a) gmail.com. We wish to thank Bassiratou Idrissou-Traoré for helping us to write this piece. 

Inspired by this story? Thinking of starting a WILPF Section in your country? Find out more on how to do so on our website.

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WILPF International Secretariat

WILPF International Secretariat, with offices in Geneva and New York, liaises with the International Board and the National Sections and Groups for the implementation of WILPF International Programme, resolutions and policies as adopted by the International Congress. Under the direction of the Secretary-General, the Secretariat also provides support in areas of advocacy, communications, and financial operations.

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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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