From the margins to the table: women's organizations in peacebuilding and transitional justice
What happens when women organize to demand justice not only as victims of sexual violence, but also as community leaders and political activists?
Written by Ruth Fisseha & Sophia Papastavrou
on March 18, 2026
Justice that ignores the realities of the lives of women is incomplete.
For decades, transitional justice processes have documented violations and proposed reforms while too often treating women primarily as victims of sexual violence rather than as leaders and political actors.
When women are excluded:
- Harms remain invisible
- Structural inequalities endure.
- Peace is built on fragile ground.
Transitional justice refers to the range of judicial and non-judicial measures societies use to address large scale abuses, including prosecutions, truth seeking initiatives, reparations, and institutional reform.
A gender responsive approach places women’s rights and gender equality at the center from design through implementation.
It recognizes unequal power relations, confronts patriarchal structures that enabled violations, and ensures that justice does not restore a pre-conflict status quo that was already unjust for women and girls.
- Why is gender equality important: Beyond making things equal among boys and girls, gender equality can lead to better social and economic outcomes for everyone.
Distinct contributions of women's associations
“Stop the beating and abuse,” appeal this group of South Sudanese women. Women and girls from small communities to the halls of global power are crying out against the practice of femicide. Photo: Christopher Lete
Women’s associations bring lived experience, social legitimacy, and accountability to transitional justice processes.
- They understand how conflict related sexual violence intersects with displacement, economic loss, stigma, and trauma.
- They see how widowhood affects land rights, how detention disrupts caregiving systems, and how insecurity reshapes gender norms.
This lived knowledge broadens the definition of harm and reshapes what reparations, truth seeking, and institutional reform must address.
Ms. Fowsia Abdulkadir, the Deputy Commissioner at the Somalia Truth and Reconciliation Commission, believes the main benefit of involving women in the consultation is to make the transitional justice policy sustainable.
“It is essential for women to get involved so that they can anchor it at community and at institutional levels.” - Fowsia Abdulkadir
They carry social legitimacy. In fragile contexts where trust in institutions is limited, women’s groups are deeply embedded in communities.
Survivors often confide in them before approaching formal mechanisms. Their credibility helps design safer participation pathways and more responsive complaint systems.
They also strengthen accountability. Women’s organizations insist that reparations address economic exclusion and that protective measures are in place so survivors can participate safely.
They push transitional justice processes to challenge the root causes of inequality rather than merely acknowledge violations.
Shaping transitional justice and sustaining peace
Women-headed savings groups like these in Tenmiya, Mauritania, give participants a leg-up to start businesses and improve their livelihood. Photo: Sidina Ould Isselmou
Women’s associations influence national policy design by advocating for survivor centered truth seeking and gender sensitive prosecutions:
- They create safe spaces for dialogue that reduce stigma and support healing. They monitor implementation to ensure commitments translate into action.
- They connect national frameworks to community realities, making justice accessible and locally owned. Peace is sustained not only through agreements but through legitimacy.
When communities see their realities reflected in justice processes, trust grows and the risk of renewed violence declines.
World Vision's approach in fragile contexts
Mothers from the Central African Republic line up for relief goods, some carrying babies tied to their backs with slings.
World Vision’s 2024 Annual Results Report highlights a strategic focus on fragile contexts, where 61 percent of investments supported the most fragile countries.
These are environments marked by chronic instability, conflict, and weak institutions, where women and girls face heightened risks of violence and exclusion.
Across 338 programs in 59 countries, World Vision and World Vision Canada reached more than 7.6 million people in 2024, integrating gender equality and social inclusion as a cross-cutting priority.
Through its Gender Equality and Social Inclusion approach, World Vision works toward more equal power dynamics and the meaningful participation of women and girls in decision making processes.
In peacebuilding and transitional justice contexts, this commitment translates into strengthening women led civil society, supporting community consultations that include women’s voices, and equipping communities with social accountability tools such as Citizen Voice and Action.
By combining humanitarian response, development, and peacebuilding through its Fragile Contexts Programming Approach, World Vision seeks sustainable, long-term impact that addresses root causes of inequality.
Ethiopia's experience
In Ethiopia, the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations has played a central role in advocating for gender integration within emerging transitional justice policy.
By bridging community level realities with national dialogue, women’s associations contribute to inclusive policy development and promote local ownership. Their engagement ensures that justice mechanisms reflect women’s voices not as an afterthought but as a foundational principle.
Transitional justice becomes transformative when women’s organizations move from the margins to decision making spaces.
Their leadership expands the scope of justice, confronts entrenched inequalities, and strengthens the foundations of sustainable peace.