Women Peace And Security March E-News 2018

Editorial: From Marching to Movements: Steps of Solidarity for Feminist Peace

By Abigail Ruane, WILPF’s Women, Peace and Security Programme Director

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A protest in support of Syrian women under siege in Eastern Ghouta (Photo: WILPF)

There has been a lot of marching and public mobilising this year, with people getting fired up and ready to go. A lot of marching, and marching, and marching yet again.  

On 20 January 2018, Women’s Marches swept the world. Over a million people from New York to Nairobi to Sydney to Osaka demanded action to enable women’s participation and access to rights, and stop the epidemic of violence against women voiced by the #MeToo movement.

From 12 to 23 March 2018, over 4,000 feminist activists leveraged the 62^nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) as a touchstone for feminist visioning and gender mainstreaming worldwide. They marched for a ceasefire in Syria, marched to protect women human rights defenders like #MarielleFranco in Brazil from attacks, and marched to affirm that activism is not terrorism.

On 24 March 2018, over 800 marches took place in the US and around the world to protest gun violence. Building on the leadership of racial justice activists who rejected police violence and affirmed that #BlackLivesMatter, the youth-led March for Our Lives demanded protection for people, not guns.

But is all of this marching making a difference?

On 12 March 2018, tenacious Syrian activists briefed the Security Council as they were trapped in basements by relentless bombing in Eastern Ghouta –  a place the UN Secretary-General has called “hell on earth.” Yet the Council continues to be at an impasse.

Thank to the leadership of Sweden and other progressive non-permanent Security Council member states, more and more women peace activists have an opportunity to brief the Council to demand action that makes a difference for women’s security and lives. But the disconnect between women’s recommendations and Security Council action is increasingly stark.

In the context of dysfunction by the world’s highest security body, sidelining by many member states, and broad gaps between current approaches and security that works for women, it can be anguishing to continue marching and advocating.

How long must we wait? When will our time come?

As we agonise, advocate, and march, we must remember: marching is only the leading edge of activism when it comes to social change. Protests are important for pushing political action on key advocacy issues, from getting guns out of schools in the U.S. to out of the streets in Syria. But they also are part of broader political mobilising. They create space to build connections, solidarity, and leadership, and can have ripple effects that bend the arc of history toward justice: the constant dripping of water eventually hollows out a stone.

Whether in small steps or large, women and men allies are choosing to amplify local women’s voices. They are supporting each other in addressing gaps in broken systems and transforming those systems from the inside out. Some are positioned to support policy advocacy, while others are positioned to mobilise. All have a role to play.

We are not alone. We march together. And with our powerful feet and voices, together, we are making change.