Shreen Abdul Saroor grew up knowing nothing but the violence that has pulled Sri Lanka apart for decades. In 1990, her family was forced to flee Mannar Island in a small boat when Tamil militants expelled all Muslims from the Northern Province. Shreen’s experience inspired her to form two organizations for women affected by conflict.
The Mannar Women’s Development Foundation helps Muslim and Tamil women displaced by violence, and Mannar Women for Human Rights and Democracy seeks to bring international attention to sexual violence in the war-torn areas of the north and east, where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people live.
In Shreen’s speech as a 2008 Voices of Courage Honoree, she stressed the devastating impact of armed conflict on women in her country:
“The safety of women and girls has been one of the casualties of the long war in Sri Lanka,” she explained. “Soldiers and members of para-military groups rape women with impunity. Rape has been used as a tool to torture political detainees.”
Far too often, women affected by armed conflict have to struggle to make their voices heard. As Shreen explained, women have an essential role to play in building peace:
“During [the] 2002 peace process in Sri Lanka there was not a single woman at the main negotiating table and if at all there will be a peace process in my country we need to have 50 percent women at the main table,” Shreen said. “With the help of the Women’s Refugee Commission and other dedicated organizations I have great hope that these ambitions could be achieved.”
Ten years ago this October, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. This monumental resolution calls on the Security Council to acknowledge the distinct impact of armed conflict on women and to recognize women’s vital role in conflict resolution, peacekeeping and peace-building. Women have a unique perspective and specific set of concerns to bring to the table as efforts toward disarmament and reconciliation unfold. Women need opportunities to participate in vital aspects of peace and security such as ending impunity for conflict-related sexual violence and addressing the needs of women and children as war-torn communities are rebuilt.
As a founding member of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, the Women’s Refugee Commission was instrumental in making SCR 1325 a reality. Over the past 10 years we have continued to push for the resolution’s full implementation and to broaden its impact.
Ten years on, the Women’s Refugee Commission is still working to further SCR 1325’s legacy and empower women who have been displaced by armed conflict as leaders on the path to sustainable peace. We will continue holding UN member states responsible for implementing SCR 1325 and making sure that refugees and internally displaced women are given a voice in the peace process.
Read more about our work with women, peace and security. This month promises several exciting events to commemorate the anniversary of SCR 1325. Visit PeaceWomen’s website to find out more.