Features, analysis and in-depth reporting on women and girls’ issues – including health, education and conflict – as well as the people and groups working toward solutions. https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/series/women-of-peace/rss en Crisis and Conflict Tue, 05 Sep 2017 04:59:09 +0000 Sahana Dharmapuri https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/09/05/wanted-more-men-to-champion-women-in-peacekeeping https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/09/05/wanted-more-men-to-champion-women-in-peacekeeping To boost the numbers of female peacekeepers, more male leaders need to become champions of women’s involvement and apply a gender perspective to this vital sphere of work, says Sahana Dharmapuri of the One Earth Future Foundation. Crisis and Conflict Thu, 24 Aug 2017 03:18:27 +0000 Alexandra Bradford https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/08/24/the-syrian-women-saving-lives-as-volunteers-for-the-white-helmets https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/08/24/the-syrian-women-saving-lives-as-volunteers-for-the-white-helmets In Syria, volunteer emergency workers known as the White Helmets risk their lives to save people from bomb sites and airstrikes. At first, the White Helmets were made up only of men, but over the past few years, more than 100 female volunteers have joined their ranks. Crisis and Conflict Tue, 15 Aug 2017 10:03:08 +0000 Aliya Bashir https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/08/15/the-peace-psychologist-in-kashmir-helping-women-affected-by-conflict https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/08/15/the-peace-psychologist-in-kashmir-helping-women-affected-by-conflict Ufra Mir is Kashmir’s first – and so far, only – ‘peace psychologist.’ In this strife-ridden region, she is trying to help women find peace in their lives and build it in their communities. Crisis and Conflict Tue, 08 Aug 2017 07:38:11 +0000 Odharnait Ansbro https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/08/08/women-fight-to-make-their-voices-heard-in-myanmars-peace-process https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/08/08/women-fight-to-make-their-voices-heard-in-myanmars-peace-process Women are still largely excluded from the ongoing peace process in Myanmar, but a growing women’s rights movement aims to tackle the persistent sexism that, they say, blocks women’s full participation. Solutions Thu, 03 Aug 2017 03:00:15 +0000 Didem Tali https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/08/03/cambodias-female-demining-teams-clear-their-country-of-wars-remnants https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/08/03/cambodias-female-demining-teams-clear-their-country-of-wars-remnants More than 60,000 people have been killed by land mines in Cambodia. But all-female demining teams are hard at work clearing the land of these deadly explosives. Crisis and Conflict Heroes Solutions Tue, 01 Aug 2017 13:39:24 +0000 Jihii Jolly https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/08/01/expert-views-how-to-overcome-challenges-women-face-in-building-peace https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/08/01/expert-views-how-to-overcome-challenges-women-face-in-building-peace Four experts identify the greatest challenges facing women peacebuilders and peacekeepers and discuss how, despite slow progress and bias against women, those challenges can be overcome. Crisis and Conflict Heroes Solutions Thu, 27 Jul 2017 03:00:00 +0000 Okunyomih John Feyiropo https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/27/build-a-woman-and-you-build-a-nation-the-women-peacemakers-of-jos https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/27/build-a-woman-and-you-build-a-nation-the-women-peacemakers-of-jos Religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in Jos, central Nigeria, have led to clashes in which several thousand people have been killed. But one NGO has an innovative solution: bringing women from both sides together to discuss their issues. Crisis and Conflict Gender-Based Violence Tue, 25 Jul 2017 08:03:41 +0000 Gaëlle Faure https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/07/25/rape-is-used-as-a-weapon-the-women-trying-to-bring-peace-back-to-burundi https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/07/25/rape-is-used-as-a-weapon-the-women-trying-to-bring-peace-back-to-burundi Working in exile and – discreetly – from inside Burundi, a network of women is trying to find ways to bring peace back to their country. Their leader, Marie Louise Baricako, talks about securing a seat at peace talks and how rape is used as a weapon to silence women. Crisis and Conflict Education Thu, 20 Jul 2017 03:00:29 +0000 News Deeply Contributor https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/20/girl-guides-of-south-sudan-have-one-wish-give-us-our-peace https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/20/girl-guides-of-south-sudan-have-one-wish-give-us-our-peace In war-torn South Sudan, Girl Guides learn peace-building skills – such as asking the adults around them to put away their weapons – and are counseled on how to support victims of rape. Crisis and Conflict Tue, 18 Jul 2017 03:00:38 +0000 Odharnait Ansbro https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/18/u-n-gender-adviser-for-women-in-peacekeeping-slow-but-growing https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/18/u-n-gender-adviser-for-women-in-peacekeeping-slow-but-growing Worldwide, women are vastly underrepresented in official peacekeeping and peace-building efforts. While they face significant roadblocks, there are also signs of real progress, says Claire Hutchinson, a senior gender adviser at the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping. Crisis and Conflict Thu, 13 Jul 2017 10:50:15 +0000 Siobhán O’Grady https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/13/wives-of-warring-rivals-strive-to-bring-peace-to-nigerias-kaduna-state https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/13/wives-of-warring-rivals-strive-to-bring-peace-to-nigerias-kaduna-state For the past year, herders and farmers have regularly clashed and spilled blood in Nigeria’s north-central Kaduna state. Their wives, many of whom work side by side in the local markets, are trying to bring an end to this spiral of violence. Crisis and Conflict Tue, 11 Jul 2017 11:28:39 +0000 Gaëlle Faure https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/11/the-first-woman-to-lead-a-u-n-peacekeeping-mission https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/11/the-first-woman-to-lead-a-u-n-peacekeeping-mission When she was appointed to head the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, Maj. Gen. Kristin Lund became the United Nation’s first female force commander. In a conversation with Women & Girls, she recounts how she shattered the glass ceiling. Crisis and Conflict Thu, 06 Jul 2017 11:34:16 +0000 Diego Salama, Ortrun Merkle https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/07/06/u-n-peacekeeping-cuts-could-be-a-disaster-for-women-and-girls https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/07/06/u-n-peacekeeping-cuts-could-be-a-disaster-for-women-and-girls Due to U.S. pressure, the U.N. General Assembly has voted to cut $600 million from the U.N. Peacekeeping budget. The impact on women and girls must be addressed, or the cuts could cause serious harm, say Ortrun Merkle and Diego Salama of United Nations University. Crisis and Conflict Tue, 04 Jul 2017 07:46:28 +0000 Laura Dixon https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/04/the-woman-helping-clear-colombia-of-its-deadly-landmines https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/07/04/the-woman-helping-clear-colombia-of-its-deadly-landmines Alejandra Segura is one of the eight women deminers working to clear Colombia of deadly explosives – a gargantuan task that the country’s president has promised to finish in the next four years.