Women's Voices from Fragile States and Why They Matter

Today I was lucky enough to attend a talk at the United Nations Foundation titled, "Courage to Change the Narrative: Women's Voices from Fragile States and Why They Matter."

The panel was introduced and moderated by Ambassador Melanne Verveer, who is now the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women. Also included on the panel were Krista Hendry from The Fund for Peace, Amy Slaughter and Yar Ayuel from RefugePoint, and Elaisha Stokes from The International Women's Media Foundation.

The panel was only an hour long, but touched on some of the major issues faced by women in war torn countries. Amy Slaughter spoke of the huge demand for education in refugee camps, and Yar Ayuel spoke from personal experience about how women have less access then men to quality education while in these camps due to physical danger and the time taken up by their obligatory domestic duties.

Elaisha Stokes spoke about how the narratives of these women are often influenced by the story tellers, who are usually white, well-educated men, which can lead to inaccurate reporting. She also spoke of the tendency for Western media to portray women in war-torn countries solely as victims instead of as the leaders they are in order to appeal to the viewer.

The problems mentioned during the panel are important and pressing, but are not novel issues. During the question and answer portion of the event the conversation had the potential to break new ground when one man from Sudan asked how Elaisha Stokes can be sure that the women she interviews are not victimized for speaking out. Elaisha responded that when she reports she always seeks the advice of local women before publishing a video if she is unsure whether it has the potential to be harmful or not.

While her response was appropriate and it is clear she does much to ensure the safety of the women she interacts with, this man's question raised an important point. How can we be sure that these women will be safe once the Western reporters leave? Are the women she seeks advice from being completely honest, or are they, too, influenced by her presence? And can a Western reporter from a privileged background ever truly understand what victims of sexual violence in a refugee camp in the Congo have been through? Yar Ayuel's reluctance to speak freely about her own experience in a refugee camp in Sudan suggests otherwise.

© Elizabeth "Elise" Sidamon-Eristoff May 2, 2014