Who gets to decide the path to peace? : - A study of the participation of women during the peace process in Burundi and the obstacles for their participation. 

Abstract:

The participation of women in peace processes has received increased attention in recent years and it is possible to identify several arguments of why it is of importance to include women to a larger extent. As the debate regarding the presence of women in peace processes is focused around the importance of including women to a larger extent, it can be valuable to further explore the role of women in peace processes in terms of their participation and the obstacles present for their participation. The focus of this study is the peace process in Burundi from the beginning of the Arusha negotiations in 1998 and onwards, as it can be considered a country with a positive outcome in terms of the inclusion of women’s situation in the final peace agreement. The participation of women during the peace process is studied with the aim to identify the main obstacles for women’s participation. The first aspect studied is the participation of women during the peace process both in the formal and informal part of the process. The outcome in terms of the peace agreement signed in 2000 and the situation for women’s participation after the agreement is also considered. Furthermore, the obstacles present for women’s participation in the peace process are studied. To explore the participation of women as well as the obstacles present for women’s participation in Burundi, the case study method is chosen together with the use of theory testing and content analysis. The case of Burundi is placed in relation to theories regarding women’s participation in peace processes and the obstacles identified in Burundi are placed in relation to findings in other studies regarding obstacles present for women’s participation. Content analysis is used when studying the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, in order to explore the inclusion of women’s specific situation in the agreement.  

The findings of the study demonstrate that the case of Burundi is similar to several other cases studied in terms of the obstacles women face for their participation. The obstacles identified to be the most common were aspects related to the culture and social norms, as well as the presence of violence in society. The external support is further raised as an important factor for women’s organizations working for a more equal post-conflict society. The participation of women is argued to have had a positive effect on the outcome in terms of the consideration of women’s situation. But as it also is stated, it is difficult to identify the exact impact of specifically the women’s participation.