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THE PEOPLE’S PEACE

ADVANCING WOMEN AS PEACEMAKERS TO CONFRONT WAR and AUTHORITARIANISM

MADRE works with local women and girl leaders to address root causes of conflict and advance rights through their participation in peace processes, and to oppose the rising authoritarianism that promotes and feeds on conflict.

Our Results
1
Resources for survival

Communities have the resources they need to survive and rebuild from war.

2
Partnerships for peace

Women and girls are meaningfully included in peacebuilding processes and our partners are sought out as experts in peacebuilding, recognized, and respected by local, national, and international decision-makers.

3
Justice for gender persecution

Violence targeting women and girls and LGBTQIA people is recognized as a crime against humanity and perpetrators are accordingly held accountable.

Working for gender justice

MADRE and our partners are working with national and international policymakers to put an end to the abuse and persecution of people for their gender or sexuality.

A History of Gender Persecution

Targeted abuse against women and girls and LGBTQIA+ people of all genders are rarely documented when they happen the perpetrators are hardly ever held accountable for these crimes. As a result, they are often excluded from consideration by international and domestic tribunals, and in effect, are left out of history.

Learn more about this work

Justice for Crimes Against Humanity

MADRE and our grassroots partners work to ensure that the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ persons of all genders are protected under international criminal law preventing and punishing crimes against humanity.

Learn more about this work

“In each crisis, women peacebuilders have the experience to deal with social cohesion, racism, and hatred – and highlight and support community togetherness, which is so important for preventing violence.”

Muna Luqman Founder and Chair, Food for Humanity

Peace depends on women and girls

Women and girls are vital defenders of communities in times of war and are essential to building lasting peace. MADRE resources these local leaders and helps them kick open doors and take their place in peacemaking processes and institutions.

a group of Afro-Colombian women sit with their fits in the air at a protest

Colombia

When decades of armed conflict came to an end in Colombia, the initial implementation of the Peace Accords threatened the lives and rights of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Peoples, particularly women and girls. MADRE and our partner, Proceso de Comunidades Negras, brought grassroots leaders from these communities into the peace process through advocacy and organizing, ensuring their perspectives were included.

a young Yemeni woman in hijab stands on the top of a mountain

Yemen

The Yemeni civil war, fueled by US military support for the Saudi-led coalition and by Houthi rebel attacks, has degraded living conditions and limited access to basic necessities. MADRE works with Food for Humanity, a grassroots humanitarian organization founded by women activists, to broker peace between communities for sharing and maintaining resources.

YOUR SUPPORT IN ACTION

Building Toolkits for Afghan Activists

MADRE created new resources in 2022 for Afghan women and human rights defenders to support the gender justice movement in Afghanistan.

SUPPORT OUR WORK
four Afghan women activist sit working together at workshop

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