“No Women, No Peace!” Why are women-peace and security linked? What do Women do in Conflict? How do they make Openings for Peace? What difference do they make to Peace building? Beyond Victimhood to Agency: Gender Narratives of Militarisation, Power and Justice.

About the speaker (in first person):

RITA MANCHANDA I am a scholar-author and human rights activist specialising on conflicts and peace building in South Asia with particular attention to vulnerable and marginalised groups, that is, women, minorities, indigenous peoples and forcibly displaced persons. My particular expertise is the intersection of gender studies with peace and security issues within the context of South Asia. My contribution to shaping the regional Women Peace and Security scholarly and policy discourse is well established. I bring to my research and policy work the rigour of my academic training in International Relations and my varied professional experiences, including my involvement in pedagogic experiments and developing innovative curriculums. In addition there is the vivacity and empiricism of my years as a professional journalist and communication skills honed during my years as a media practitioner in print and television. It has enriched my capacity to design and implement programmes in conflict torn situations and ‘post conflict’ transitions. Till recently, I was Director, Research at the ‘South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR), a regional network focusing on rights based approaches to conflicts, peace processes and peace building. Over the last 15 years I have directed and coordinated a diverse portfolio of programmes including ‘Human Rights Audits of Peace Processes,’ Women in Conflict and Peace’, ‘Media in Conflict’, Minority Rights in South Asia, ‘A Rights based Approaches to Poverty Reduction’. During this period I have undertaken short lien jobs and consultancies. I have been Gender Advisor, Commonwealth Technical Fund (2004-5), consultant with UN Women (2010-11,2012-13, 2014), UNDP (2014-15), Centre for Humanitarian Dialogues (2011, 2012), and SAFERWORLD (2015, 2016). I am an experienced guest lecturer on peace, conflict and gender studies including at Ambedkar University (2017), Ramanujan College (2016), Indian Council for Social Development (2016), Rotary Centre ISPCS, Chulalongkorn University (2014), Welthungerhilfe (WHH) (2014), Lady Shri Ram College and was permanent faculty at SAFHR’s ‘Human Rights & Peace Orientation Course’ (2000-2008).
Among my many publications is the multi-country five Volume “SAGE Series in Human Rights Audits of Peace Processes”(Sage:2015) which I edited, as well as co-authored two of the volumes. The latest is the edited volume ‘Women and the Politics of Peace: Narratives of Militarisation , Power and Justice” (Sage:2017) which is a follow up to my benchmark publication “Women War and Peace in South Asia: Beyond Victimhood to Agency “(2001) ” In addition, I have authored the “No Nonsense Guide to Minority Rights in South Asia” (Sage:2009) and the edited volume “States in Conflict with their Minorities” (Sage:2010). These were outputs of the SAFHR-EURAC Minority Rights programme of lectures and training workshops. Of note is the monograph on “ US Non Proliferation policy in South Asia” under the aegis of a Ford Foundation Fellowship at the University of Maryland 1989.
From English Literature to conventional security studies and international relations I have moved to critical security studies, feminising security and bringing a human rights approach to my work on inter-state and internal conflicts and peacebuilding as well as democratic rights in a militarized hyper masculine environment. My research and advocacy focus is oriented towards South Asia.