Gender and the post-conflict environment
by
Maliza Van Eden
A discussion of gender should not be equated with women only, as it refers more broadly to the societal relations between the two sexes. Nevertheless, this article focuses on the disproportionate impact experienced by women in conflict and post-conflict societies, particularly in the environmental context.
All post-conflict countries face serious environmental issues that could undermine the peace building process if left unaddressed. The UN has identified environmental degradation as a key threat to peace and security. But the environment and natural resources in post-conflict countries also has a significant impact on women.
The conflict in Sudan, by way of example, has become notorious for the high level of sexual violence against women, particularly in the Darfur region. But there are also other impacts on women: Family separation and disintegration has lead to an increase in the number of households headed by women and has changed gender roles at the household level. The change in traditional roles has lead to an increase in alcoholism and domestic violence and the harsh economic conditions are forcing many women into survival options exposing them to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
Environmental impacts, pressures and risks experienced by post-conflict countries are commonly caused by factors such as chemical contamination, human displacement and a breakdown of natural resources management systems. The conflict in Sudan has been fueled by a combination of poverty, population growth and ethnic tension, but has as a central component competition over the country’s natural resources – mainly oil and water. Environmental degradation in an already arid region has strongly contributed to the fighting. Sudan suffers from high levels of deforestation combined with grazing and agriculture pressure. The consequences are widespread soil erosion, loss of productive capacity and increased frequency of floods and landslides. Vulnerability to natural disasters is increased, thereby undermining development and risking hard-won peace gains and public confidence. These can all have a particular impact on women, different from men. For example, displaced women in Sudan face particular security risks and are exposed to gender-based violence even in refugee and IDP camps.
Post-conflict recovery represents a window of opportunity to lay the foundation for sustainable environmental management, rehabilitation and use of natural resources. Reconstruction efforts should take environmental issues into account in order not to increase risks and vulnerabilities to natural disasters. However, given the particular impacts of environmental management on women, the post-conflict reconstruction period also presents an opportunity to empower women. This may not necessarily mean a restoration of the pre-conflict situation, but an actual improvement in the impact on women of natural resources management and access to these resources.
Bringing a gender perspective to the reconstruction phase requires not only isolated projects or programme components relating to gender, but an understanding of how women’s specific social conditions affect the programmes’ impact on them and their ability to access benefits. Failure to promote the substantive equality of women in post-conflict situations, including in the context of natural resources use and management, has a negative long-term impact on the well-being of households and spreads from there to whole societies. This in turn affects sustainable peace and development. Addressing the disproportionate gender impacts of conflict is therefore not only an opportunity for change, but an obligation shared by all.
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