Is Positive Peace with Us? Exchange Program of Muslim Women from Aceh, Pattani and Mindanao

On the occasion of AMAN’s 20th anniversary held in Pattani in January 2011, AMAN organized a workshop titled “Women in Armed Conflict”. This workshop was a part of its Assembly that focused on Multi-culturalism and World Peace. The workshop brought together women living in conflict areas and through experience-sharing and analysis of women’s roles as peace builders, addressed the relevant issues and formulated recommendations regarding the problems faced by women in areas such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Aceh, Mindanao, Myanmar/Burma, Kashmir, Manipur in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

As a follow up to the workshop, AMAN brought together eight women two from Southern Thailand (Mrs. Gareeman Saree-Nga, Yaseming Yama, Haibah Lohma), three from Mindanao (Remma Baban, Ruby Andong, and Mo'mina Abdul Jalal), and Aceh (Rizki Afiat, Kusmawati Moh. Hatta, Yusdarita) who are either affected by armed conflict and/or work for women and children affected by the same. The workshop was held in April 21 to may 3, 2012 comprising of class orientation, field visit to Aceh and Pattani, and reflection. To get insight experiences of women living in conflict area, AMAN invited eight women from Aceh, Pattani and Mindanao to document stories of women during their visits to Aceh after peace agreement comparing with situation of Muslim women in Pattani, who struggling for access to justice till now.

After Helsinki peace agreement signed in August 2005, Aceh considered as peaceful region. However, from the sharing of several organizations working on peacebuilding and implementation of peace agreement in Aceh named Women Volunteer for Justice (RPuK), the Center for Community Development and Education ( CCDE), Aceh Gender Transformation Work Group (KKTGA), Serikat Inong Aceh (SEIA) and Balay Syura. Now, Aceh is still struggling with severe corruption and nepotism, illegal logging and mining exploitation, abused sharia implementation, lack of political will for good governance and a lack of access to justice especially for women conflict survivors. The tendency of ethno-centrism and pri-mordialism, as a way to differentiate 'us' versus 'them', is also a current challenge for plurality as it was inherited from the psycho social construction during conflict. 

Similarly, from the women’s community group named Kelompok Wanita Samaki and persons directly impacted by conflict,  Waneta and the Muslim Attorney Center. When currently people are waiting for future peace process, Muslim Women in Pattani are doing alot of activities waging many people to believe on peace and continuing strunggling to get access to justice by doing community development, dialogue, etc. 

The exchange program recommended for AMAN to strengthen communication among Muslim women living in conflict area, to provide them a space for reflection and exchange with other Muslim women from different part of the world. secondly, › In Aceh the level of trauma was relatively high. Thus, the priorities of NGO’s and CSO’s working in the post-conflict areas were to assist the victims through trauma healing and by empowering them through the building of capacity and self-sufficiency. Thirdly, AMAN should strengthen a network among muslim women working in conflict area, so they could continuously having regular update and continuing supporting advocacy in different levels. ***

The detail of report can be download here