Recognizing the Role of Women in Fighting for Peace in Ukraine

I am not Ukrainian, but exactly one year ago, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I felt like I could be. I am Latvian, but I was born in the Soviet Union, which both Ukraine and Latvia were part of. The word “union” is misleading, for it was not unified. We were not in it by choice. Latvia and Ukraine share a history of occupation, oppression, and aggression from our large neighbor. When that neighbor launched an unprovoked war, it wasn’t only Latvians who felt that this could very well have been us, and might still be us. It was Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, Poles, Georgians, and so many others who had experienced Russian imperialism for centuries. 

It is hard to believe that a year has passed since Russia crossed the boundary of muscle-flexing, into a full-scale invasion. In that year there hasn’t been a single day in which I haven’t read, heard, or seen news about the ongoing aggression. And yet in all that news coverage of the war, while capturing nuances about shifting global powers, about the unintentional rise in the drive for clean energy, about disruptions in the food trade from Ukraine having catastrophic implications in the global south, there are still areas in which nuance is largely, or entirely, absent. 

We seem to travel back in time when talking about fighting for freedom. Conversations are dominated by the military and arms, about the physical fighting taking place on the front lines, the devastating attacks on infrastructure and civilians. But long gone are the days when wars are fought and won by the military alone. It is not just soldiers who are fighting for their country, for peace and for justice. That fight is also happening in refugee centers around the country, and beyond. It is also happening on the trains evacuating people to safety and bringing crucial supplies, in the basements of occupied territories. It is also happening on people’s tv screens in the information war, in dark corners of the web, in civil society organizations, in the lyrics, canvases and lenses of artists. 

At an event in Brussels in December 2022, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the EU rightly said: “Every Ukrainian is fighting for their country, for their freedom, and for peace.” Women are central to that fight. And yet from the first day of the war dominant narratives and policies forget that. Men were immediately called on to fight, while women were tasked with saving children. Men were portrayed as heroes protecting their nation and fighting for freedom, while women were portrayed only as victims. We have heard a lot about women being the targets of horrific sexual violence as a weapon of war. We have heard far less about the incredible work of women supporting survivors of this violence. We have heard a lot about men evacuating people who are displaced. We have heard far less about the fact that 80% of train conductors in Ukraine are women. We’ve heard even less about women on the front lines, women documenting war crimes, or the women in roles of political leadership. 

Reflecting times of war and conflict in such mono-dimensional ways is not only far from reality, it is also harmful. If women’s crucial, and valuable contributors to the fight for peace are not seen and recognized, they get excluded from decision-making now, and in the future. And that, in turn, leads to setbacks for gender equality, affecting society as a whole. 

Study after study, and example after example have shown that countries with greater gender equality are more peaceful, more inclusive, and more prosperous. Not just in the west – look at Rwanda, where a concerted effort was made to meaningfully include women in the recovery, reconciliation and political processes after the devastating civil war and genocide. Now 60% of the Rwandan parliament is women, the highest proportion in the world. The country has enjoyed lasting peace, and its economy has been booming for two decades, improving the living standards of all.  

Last year Nobel Women’s Initiative commissioned “Oh, Sister!”, a powerful documentary showing the stories of six women fighting for freedom, peace and justice in Ukraine. We did that not only to counter the inaccurate and harmful narratives which overlook the roles women play. We did it with a view to the future. Ukraine will continue to defend itself from this war of aggression, and eventually Ukraine will win. And when that happens meaningful inclusion of women will be needed to ensure lasting, sustainable peace – a kind of peace which is more than the absence of war. As Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams says: “Sustainable peace means the majority of people on this planet having access to resources to live dignified lives; having access to education and healthcare, so they can live in freedom from fear and freedom from want.” 

About the author: Daina Ruduša is the Head of Media and Communications, Nobel Women’s Initiative @nobelwomen