Transition from conflict to durable peace, defined as more than merely an absence of hostilities, is without the doubt a key priority for states emerging from conflicts and situations of gross human rights violations. International law plays a major part in this complex process. However, feminist international lawyers have argued that the discipline of international law has been largely developed by men and in ways which reflect male experiences, therefore legitimising women’s unequal position both in the context of international law as well as in national and international affairs.
Traditionally, international law focused on the position of women in wars exclusively from the perspective of international humanitarian law, emphasizing special protection afforded to women (predominantly as civilians) during armed conflict. However, in recent years, more attention has been paid to the applicability of international law to post-conflict situations, including women in the context of conflict prevention, transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction. For instance, the landmark General Recommendation 30 (2013) of the CEDAW Committee confirmed that ‘protecting women’s human rights at all times, advancing substantive gender equality before, during and after conflict and ensuring that women’s diverse experiences are fully integrated into all peacebuilding, peacemaking, and reconstruction processes are important objectives of the Convention’. Furthermore, questions of gender dimensions of transitional periods, as well as matters concerning gender, peace and security have been at the forefront of academic as well as institutional debates concerning international law, women and post-conflict situations.
Nevertheless, current developments have been largely focused on issues of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and prosecution of gender-based crimes largely to the exclusion of other branches of international law, such as international refugee law or international economic law, and their application to women & post-conflict situations.
For instance, issues such as gendered impact of post-conflict migration, the impact of post-conflict economic policies on women, provision of effective and gender-sensitive reparations and securing women’s socio-economic rights have been addressed to a much lesser extent than criminal accountability for CRSV.
This workshop seeks to bring together early career researchers to explore new perspectives on international law, women and post-conflict situations. It will address the multifaceted challenges facing women in post-conflict situations and to explore ways in which international law can (and should) be put to work in order to effectively assist women and secure their rights in the aftermath of contemporary conflicts. Contributions which explore the interdisciplinary perspectives on this theme as well as those which reach beyond the question of accountability for CRSV are particularly welcome.
The workshop will also present an opportunity for early career researchers to share their research with experts in the field of international law, women, peace and security.
Deadline: Titles and abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent with a biography of no more than 100 words to Dr Olga Jurasz (il.newvoices@gmail.com) by 10am GMT on Monday 25 June 2018.
Participants will be asked to provide draft papers (4000 – 4500 words) in advance of the workshop.
Workshop: The workshop will be held on 26 and 27 November 2018 at Amnesty International, Human Rights Action Centre in London.
Eligibility: This is the workshop for early career researchers (max. 8 years from the award of a PhD or equivalent professional / research experience). Participation of early-career researchers from the Global South and conflict-affected countries is particularly welcome.
Funding: A limited number of travel & local accommodation grants are available for participants who are invited to present and would otherwise be unable to participate. Priority will be given to participants from the Global South and conflict-affected countries. If you wish to apply for a travel grant, please send the attached travel grant application together with your abstract. Please note that applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.
IL new voices – travel grant application
Outputs: Selected papers from the workshop will be published in an edited collection in 2019.
This workshop is supported by funding from the British Academy and from the Open University Citizenship & Governance Strategic Research Area.
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