Reseña

Dejusticia?s Ideas for Peace Building collection seeks to contribute to this effort by presenting thematically focused documents containing analyses of and proposals to overcome some of the main institutional challenges of this new phase. In this book, we offer an examination of and recommendations for women?s participation in Colombia?s peace processes, with an eye toward strengthening spaces for participation and, in doing so, ensuring that the peace accord is ultimately translated into long-term social pacts that are inclusive and committed to justice and equity.

Women?s participation in Colombian peace processes has been remarkably low. Between the commencement of the Betancur administration in 1982 and today?s Santos administration, women have accounted for a mere 3.6% of negotiators and signatories of agreements between the Colombian government and armed groups. In addition, women have encountered multiple obstacles when it comes to advocating before the state and positioning a gender perspective in public institutions. Why do these obstacles persist? How can they be overcome? Negotiating from the Margins draws on the personal accounts of several women who used a range of strategies to advocate before Colombian peace processes. Thanks to the pressure applied by these women and their networks, today?s peace process includes, for the first time ever, a gender subcommission, as well as a crosscutting gender perspective throughout the accord. How can we ensure that this progress is not forgotten? What would be a basic minimum for guaranteeing that a perspective based on gender and women?s rights remains central during the peace accord?s implementation?