Peace Talk representatives announced, but where are the women?
So both the government and the Farc have announced their representatives for the peace talks.
I can’t help but feel I am stating the obvious, but: Where are the women?
Santos’ negotiators are an undoubtedly incredibly qualified, and represent some great experience. However, there is not a single woman. Nor is there an indigenous person, afro-Colombian, or victim of the conflict. The Farc, also, have no women representing them at the table.
As Ginny Bouvier highlighted when reflecting on lessons from past peace processes, these oversights are problematic for the attainment of any lasting peace.
As several commentators have noted in the last couple of days, the Colombian population will grow quickly weary of the proposition of peace if violence continues to dominant their lives (the lack of a cease-fire agreement is something I want to look at in a post this weekend), but if in addition to the ongoing attacks and violence, Colombians do not feel represented, nor feel as if their voices are heard and counted, the prospect of peace might be a slippery one.
Helen Berents. PhD Researcher. International Politics, Peace & Conflict Studies.
Reflections on research with/and about children and youth in Colombia, Colombian politics more generally,
and things going on in other parts of the world.
