Concordis’ consultations in north-west Central African Republic (CAR) demonstrate profound differences in the way women and men experience conflict. 60% of women reported feeling insecure, compared to just 40% of men. The youngest are the most fearful – almost 70% of young women feel that their situation is not safe.

We often find that competition over water causes conflict between herders and farmers, but our consultations also show a clear correlation between access to clean drinking water in the village, and violence against women.

Concordis aims to identify and address root causes of conflict, wherever it is felt most acutely. To do that, we get out of the urban centres and consult widely, including women and men, young and old, herders and farmers. We’ve consulted over 10,000 people across the Central African region in recent years, to generate a nuanced understanding of the conflict. This informs our work and keeps us accountable to those we seek to serve.

By overlaying maps of different conflict dynamics, we found a worryingly clear correlation between villages without a source of clean drinking water in the village, and those whose women reported higher incidents of sexual violence. 12 of the 14 villages reporting the highest cases of violence against women also report that they have no working well or an unreliable well. Conversely, the 9 villages with a working well also report lower levels of violence against women (>5).

We used this evidence base to demonstrate where wells and other infrastructure are needed most. We then worked alongside friends in other organisations who have these specialist skills, enabling them to deliver their vital services at the point of greatest need. This ensures that infrastructure is built where it is needed most, where it is likely to prevent conflict, and where it will be valued and owned by the local communities.

Safe, well-managed water points serve as sites for trade and information-sharing between herder and farmer communities, and so contribute to the virtuous cycle that Concordis promotes: economic and social interaction generate interdependent and diversified livelihoods, which increase resilience to shocks and improve social cohesion. And, of course, people are better able to manage conflict more peacefully once the women in the communities can feel safe going about their business.

Find out more about how Concordis conducted these consultations, and other insights and recommendations from the report, by reading the full report here.

Justine

From Ndele (Prefecture of Bamingui Bangoran).

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United Nations Secretary-General, An Agenda for Peace: Preventive Diplomacy, Peacemaking and Peacekeeping: Report of the Secretary-General Pursuant to the Declaration Adopted by the Summit Meeting of the Security Council, January 31, 1992.
John Paul Lederach, Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Institute of Peace Press, 1997), 20