Activists worldwide

We work with peace activists around the world. Brave people who work tirelessly for peace and security. Who make a fist against injustice and inequality.

Vicky from South Sudan

Vicky is one of the peace activists we work with. She supports South Sudanese partners in their advocacy, activities around peace and building a network of peace activists.

‘Gender-based violence (GBV) in South Sudan is nothing new, as it has always been driven by our patriarchal society. It is culturally determined that women are not allowed to talk about their rights or sensitive issues that affect them, such as sexual assault and divorce. In the marriage culture, men are forced to pay a lot of cows as dowry. As a result, a woman is considered property. This makes a woman vulnerable to violence.

All this can be changed if women are empowered to speak on behalf of themselves and other women. That is their right. Moreover, men need to understand what violence against women means and what norms are harmful to women.

When it comes to GBV, the needs of victims must be our first priority. In addition, it is important for the government to set up programmes to strengthen women’s self-confidence to resist harmful norms and taboos that increase the risk of GBV. This would not only ensure justice but also greater gender equality in the community.’

Anwar from Palestina 

In Palestine, PAX is working with local partner organisations on the Civil Society for Dignity project. The aim: reducing the distance between local Palestinian authorities and Palestinian citizens so that they can better serve them.

Anwar Owaineh works at the organisation Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy (MEND) and is part of the Civil Society for Dignity project. The aim of the project is to restore trust between citizens and local government and to make governments responsive to citizens’ needs.

Where everyone is struggling in Palestine, this is especially true for young people and women. They are not represented in local authorities which means that the needs of women and young people are not addressed. If things get better for them, things will get better for everyone.

One way to do that is to bring out the problems of women and young people. For example, Anwar makes videos together with women in which they portray their own problems. One such video tells a story of a woman who rides her bike to get a cake for her birthday mother, but along the way is so thwarted and taunted for cycling that the cake arrives in pieces. The video struck a chord. Anwar: ‘A group of women joined hands and are now cycling every day to make it more normal.

Angelina from South Sudan

In South Sudan, PAX is working with local partner organisations on gender equality and a meaningful role for women in peace processes. As part of one of the projects, several radio programmes were broadcast on national radio stations. In these broadcasts, women activists from different regions discussed their concerns about peace and security and solutions. Gender-based violence was also discussed to raise awareness around this important issue.