EF Launches International Conference on Women Against Violence and Extremism

From June 6 to 9, 2022, Eurasia Foundation held the first-ever International Conference on Women Against Violence and Extremism (I-WAVE) in Istanbul, Turkey. The event aimed to equip women’s rights practitioners with a deeper understanding of the intersection between violence against women (VAW) and extremism.

The event’s 30 attendees represented a broad cross-section of civil society organizations (CSOs) from Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Expert panelists discussed challenges to women’s security and shared tools to help CSOs work and collaborate more effectively. While each attending organization specializes in women’s issues, they offer a wide array of technical expertise spanning anti-trafficking, peacebuilding, rural women’s support, the rights of people with disabilities, and more.

“Violence against women and extremism are issues that each of these organizations address in their daily work,” said Mekhribon Abdullaeva, Program Manager at EF. “This conference is an important venue for these organizations to identify issues and promote their work. It allows them to meet organizations and experts from different countries and develop strategies on how to work together.”

Istanbul is the birthplace of one of the most influential international anti-VAW agreements: the Istanbul Convention. This landmark legislation aimed to uphold women’s rights to safety and security through four pillars: preventing VAW, protecting women and girls, prosecuting perpetrators, and creating cooperative polices. Through I-WAVE, CSOs and experts built on this foundational framework by examining violence against women as a form of violent extremism.

“Unfortunately, violent acts committed against girls and women, a form of extremism based on their gender, is not just a historical challenge,” says Abdullaeva. “It continues in many different forms today. We are here to come up with an action plan for the future, to consolidate our efforts, and continue the fight against all violence and extremism.”

The first two days of I-WAVE provided space for CSOs and international experts to outline key challenges to women’s well-being. Sessions emphasized pathways for civil society organizations to improve their sustainability, communications, and outreach skills.

Abdullaeva moderated the panel “Networking, Outreach and Policy Dialogue,” which focused on tactics for promoting women’s issues and preventing violent extremism through community outreach. Panelists revealed effective practices learned from working with locally led organizations. Nargis Saidova, director of the NGO Gender and Development in Dushanbe, discussed how lobbying and coalition-building can promote women’s issues in Tajikistan. Olga Kalashnyk of La Strada Ukraine presented on the organization’s experience with the La Strada network model. Lyudmila Ulyashina, representing European Humanities University from Norway, shared experience in championing human rights.

Dildora Amirkulova, a consultant from Uzbekistan, chaired another panel on violent extremism as a form of violence against women. This panel brought together experts from Croatia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan to discuss different manifestations of violent extremism in various contexts. Panelists emphasized the need for curricula about countering violence against women in peace and security studies.

The final two days of the forum centered on capacity-building workshops and interactive training to help participants integrate their knowledge into practice. These sessions critically considered whether VAW and extremism are different forms of violence, or intrinsically linked. Participants then explored innovative approaches.

In the end, participating experts and practitioners developed a new agenda to guide outreach and research priorities going forward. Together, I-WAVE’s experts are building a world that is safer for all, with women’s voices leading the way.