Grassroots women at the center of justice and peacebuilding
At the FECCLAHA regional meeting in Uganda in late October, Héritiers de la Justice highlighted the essential role that women play in advancing justice and building sustainable peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region. Héritiers de la Justice, based in the DRC is a long-term partner of KAIROS and part of the Women Peacebuilders at the Nexus of Climate, Conflict and Gender project.
Their work – from documenting human rights violations to supporting survivors and creating community-based mechanisms for protection – aligns powerfully with our theme of activism in this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
Chantal Bililu, Women Project Manager at Héritiers de la Justice, empathizes the importance of advocating for peace mechanisms in the DRC and for the protection of women and young girls’ voices in the process. Through the Women Peacebuilders project, Chantal and the Héritiers de la Justice team continue to show what’s possible when women’s voices are prioritized: societies evolve and gain stronger pathways to restoration, accountability and transformation. Meaningful peace requires protecting and centering women’s voices and amplifying their expertise in regional and continental platforms. It means ensuring that resources continue to reach local peacebuilders, helping them in their activism journey and amplifying their expertise in regional and continental platforms.
By Danielle Kamtié, Global Partnerships Coordinator: Africa and Climate Justice
