Perspectivas feministas sobre um conflito: o papel das mulheres na segunda guerra civil da Libéria (1999-2003)

Abstract

The victimization of women and girls has been an outstanding feature of several civil wars throughout humankind history, as well as other forms of conflicts. Nevertheless, by using gender as a category of analysis, besides historical facts in the case of Liberia, it is observed that blindly assuming women mainly as passive agents or victims in conflict would make the analysis inconclusive. With this proposal, this paper identifies the important women's participation in the diplomatic process of peacebuilding in Liberia, where have emerged several organizations headed and composed exclusively of women. Nonetheless, it is noted a military participation of Liberian women, adult and young, in this conflict, in which they contributed to a context of direct and structural violence perpetuation, since they constitute approximately 40% of all combatants - rebel fighters and soldiers of the national armed forces. Based on the feminist and peace studies, this paper investigates and tries to point out the different contributions of Liberian women as agents in the Second Liberian Civil War, recognizing their importance to the resolution of the civil conflict from their role as peacebuilding agents, but also recognizing their participation in the perpetuation of violence at the national level as active combatants.