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BIHAPH CEO CALLS ON WOMEN TO STAND UP FOR PEACE

 
Dighambong Bibiana, Chief Executive Officer BIHAPH.

"The present stalemate in Cameroon is a very inspiring moment for our women to talk on the need for peace and non violence."Dixit Dighambong Bibiana, Chief Executive Officer BIHAPH.

      She made this pronouncement during a one day capacity building workshop and the launching of two key components of the Association. The first component consists of empowering young girls on ICTs, in order to combat violent extremism through the propagation of hate speeches and other ills associated to the social media. This component is executed withing the framework of the Cameroon's 2019 Public Investment Budget PIB The second component, unlike the first, is benefiting from the support of the United Nation's Development Programme, UNDP, consists of training women and men in bee keeping, in order to promote social cohesion for early recovery in conflict affected areas. 
ICT component
Social cohesion component
  During the launching ceremony, heavily attended, BIHAP's CEO, Mrs. Dighambong Bibiana urged women to bear in mind that they are the ones who bear the worst and painful experiences during conflicts and wars. They should therefore sit on the table for peace. Let there be true justice and peace. We therefore call on all to be change makers by sharing this message of peace as thousands of children are dying in bushes and this in the presence of humanitarians. Bringing change and creating a better world for everyone is at the heart of every humanitarian especially in these turbulent times.
Two themes were treated during the launching. Role of women in Peace building delivered by Njuh Marie-Goretti Bei and the Impact of conflicts on young girls presented by Nueh Anitta Chuo. It wasn't a mistake choosing these two damsels two handle these topics. They demonstrated a mastery of the situation on the ground.

    Role of Women in Peace building.
Women can be either victims of conflict or agents of peace building. From time immemorial,  women have averted conflicts and have been responsible for resolving conflicts. Peace-building needs the involvement of women. During violent conflicts and wars women are forced to assume new roles as heads of families, providers, combatants, and freedom fighters.

 Women’s roles in peace-building across conflict areas, in the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon, highlight the importance of moving women beyond the “humanitarian front of the story.” Women have and can continue to influence peace-building processes so that they go beyond defining peace as the absence of violent conflict and focuses on the principles of inclusion, good governance and justice. Women need to be present to discuss issues such as genocide, impunity and security if a just and enduring peace is to be built.

 Women’s involvement in peace-building is as old as their experience of violence. Women are not “naturally” peaceful. Women have played a variety of roles throughout history that support war and other forms of violence, from warriors to supportive wives and mothers calling men to the battlefield. However, their gender identities allow them to do some forms peace-building that men cannot do. In addition, some women have found it advantageous to draw on skills, assets, and capacities that are available to them in oppressive patriarchal systems and harness these for productive use in peace-building.

 Communities that use all the talents, experience, and wisdom of both men and women are more able to address the needs of their members. If women are excluded from participating in community decisions and leadership, or are so busy with household responsibilities that they do not have time to go to community meetings, then the talents, experiences, and wisdom of half of the population will not contribute to community life.

   Impact of conflicts on young girls.
 Conflicts are characterized by a total breakdown of law, security and community structures, with gross human rights violations perpetrated against civilian populations. The most vulnerable are women and children. Upholding their rights during times of crisis is fundamental to humanitarian associations. The impact of armed conflict on children, especially infants and young children, cannot be considered in isolation from women. Because women are the primary child caregivers, when they are affected by war, so are children. In many cultures, mothers, older sisters, aunts, and grandmothers share responsibility for children's physical and psycho-social development. As men leave to fight, women are increas- ingly responsible for maintaining the social fabric of their communities. During and after wars, women are instrumental in providing a sense of family and community continuity that supports children's healing from war-related trauma. Women's physical and psycho-social health and survival are therefore critical to the well-being of children, both during and after armed conflict. And yet, the perilous conditions children experience in war zones are often discussed in isolation from the women who nurture and care for them. 
 
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