Women, Peace, and Security
The Fund for Women, Peace, and Security
In situations of armed conflict, rape and other forms of sexual violence are often used as a tactic of war and genocide. Women and girls in conflict are also at risk of forced pregnancies, forced sterilizations, and displacement. A disproportionately large burden of the care-giving work to rebuild communities falls upon them. Despite the grave impact of armed conflict on women’s lives and the crucial role they play in stabilizing communities under conflict, women have historically been sidelined from leadership roles in formal peace building processes around the world. Frontline Women's Fund supports the work of activist groups who work to protect women’s rights in armed conflict and enhance their role in peace building. The Fund for Women, Peace, and Security currently supports the work of four frontline women’s rights activist groups who work to protect women’s rights in armed conflict and enhance their role in peace building in Afghanistan, the DR Congo, Libya, and Syria.
90%
of current war casualties are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children.
RAPE
has historically been used as a weapon of war around the world and continues with impunity.
13%
of peace negotiators from 1992 to 2018 were women, lessening the likelihood of peace agreements lasting more than 2 years.
Our Grantees
Get to know our hardworking grantees who are each working to promote peace and security. We proudly support these organizations and their missions.
HAWCA
Afghanistan
HAWCA, a Kabul-based non-profit founded in 1999, is dedicated to supporting Afghan women and children affected by war and injustice. HAWCA provides shelter, legal aid, vocational training, and crisis response services. They operate peace-building centers for children and offer mobile health consultations, focusing on empowering women and improving access to justice.
LWPP
Libya
Libyan Women’s Platform For Peace ensures that women remain a vital part of post-Gaddafi Libya, with an emphasis on women’s rights as related to women’s political and economic participation, constitutional reform, and education.
SFVS
DR Congo
Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes des Violences Sexuelles provides psycho-social, medical, and legal defense services to victims of sexual violence in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo.
SWFP
Syria
The Syrian Women's Forum for Peace is a civilian organization that aims to activate Syrian and international public opinion to lobby decision makers to adopt peaceful political means to build a democratic state.
Due to the challenging circumstances in many conflict-zone countries, in some cases, Frontline Women’s Fund is unable to send funds to those countries (e.g. for legal reasons). In such cases Frontline Women’s Fund supports women from these countries in travel and other activities outside the country to enable them to participate in peace processes at the United Nations and elsewhere.
"Those states that foster gender equality through laws and enforce those laws are less likely to go to war. They are less likely to use force first when in conflict. They are less likely to get involved in violent crises. Once again, a gender-neutral perspective leads you to focus on military might, whereas a gendered perspective highlights the importance of gender equality to facilitate state security."
| Valerie Hudson, Professor of Political Science, Texas A&M University
The Women's Forum on Afghanistan
We are proud to be supporting the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, an initiative led by Afghan women and hosted by the Sisterhood is Global Institute. The Women's Forum on Afghanistan was formed after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, which has had a devastating impact on women's rights. It works to ensure the inclusion of Afghan women in the dialogue and decision-making of the international community on the future of Afghanistan.