By Unbias the News
Wars are too often started and led by men. Yet their primary victims are women, children, and the elderly.
But what if women were powerful enough to broker peace?
In this story for Unbias News, journalist Tina S. Mehnpaine traces the journey of Liberian women who first came together across religious divides: Christian and Muslim, to fast and pray for peace during Liberia civil war.
“As women, we needed peace because we were bearing the brunt of the war. We were being raped while our children were being used as child soldiers.”
Janice Flomo
They decided to use their nonviolent approach to advocate for peace. When their calls were ignored by men in power, they turned to nonviolent resistance: a sex strike, soon joined by women in both rural and urban areas, who refused to have sex with their husbands, on grounds that they were fasting and praying for peace.
Their determination eventually earned them a seat at the negotiation table, where they played a decisive role in pushing for an end to the war.
If there’s one lesson from this story, it’s this:
Peacebuilding is not fast. It’s not easy. But with perseverance and collective power, it is possible.
→ Read the full story on Unbias The News
