Limassol: Mothers could act as potential peace brokers, human rights and peace experts and activists told CNA, referring to the power and role of women and mothers in peacebuilding and for social justice, on the occasion of a roundtable discussion organised in Limassol on January 25 by the Citizens’ Platform with the participation of women from Cyprus and other countries with experience of conflict and war.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the discussion is the start of an effort, as noted by Marina Demetriou, member of the Citizens’ Platform, a political group participating in the Institute of European Democrats – member of the European Democratic Party (EDP), to contribute towards peace. She mentioned that the idea for the event began in October 2023, following the Hamas attack in Israel and the ensuing challenges. Demetriou highlighted the anxiety about how citizens on both sides were coping, the trauma experienced by both Palestinians and Israelis, and the growing anger and hatred.
Demetriou explained that many women at the Institute, being mothers, started exchanging thoughts about how women could address the increasing hostilities seen in recent years, and how the female population could engage in decisions for wars or peace processes. She emphasized the compassion women, especially mothers, have for other mothers who lose children due to wars.
The roundtable discussion included participation from women peace activists and representatives from both sides of the Cyprus divide and two organizations, one Israeli and one Palestinian, working together for peace. Demetriou expressed that mothers could become a force against war decisions, which are often made by men without consulting women or the civilian population.
Sociologist and international gender expert Sonja Lokar, leader of the Women’s Lobby in Slovenia, emphasized that mothers are an important group as potential brokers of peace. She noted that in war-torn societies, mothers might be the only group difficult for warlords to dismiss when they ask for peace. Lokar shared insights from the Yugoslavian wars, reflecting on the efforts to prevent war and the subsequent empowerment of women.
Lokar pointed out that during the Yugoslavian wars, women’s political representation was minimal, and peace agreements were made without women’s involvement. However, women who opposed the war became pivotal in the political empowerment of women and addressing injustices faced by women during the war. She highlighted the importance of women uniting across various sectors for effective peacebuilding, citing examples from the Balkans and Colombia.
Hauwa Ibrahim, a Nigerian human rights lawyer and laureate of the 2005 Sakharov Prize, highlighted the soft power of mothers in peacebuilding. She shared her experience in rescuing girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, demonstrating the influence of maternal bonds. Ibrahim noted how a simple question from a mother led to valuable information from a detained terrorist, showcasing the potential of leveraging maternal relationships for peace efforts.
Ibrahim further discussed her ‘Mothers without Borders’ program, which investigates youth radicalization and explores the phenomenology of the soft power of mothers. This program aims to harness the innate influence of mothers to foster peace and reconciliation.