Programs

The crux of WIPSEN-Africa's programmes is on human security, a concept which stresses the security of people and encourages policy/decision makers to think of security as something more than the military defence of state or regime interest and territory. This focus on people not only re-emphasizes the obligations of states to guarantee the security of its citizens --women, men, girls and boys, but also advocates for citizens themselves to be agents of their own security. In addition, it re-directs critical attention to capabilities and constraints of citizens to act; thereby supporting empowerment as well as creating windows of opportunities for addressing inter-related issues such as discrimination, injustices and inequalities from a rights-based approach.

Thus for WIPSEN-Africa the human security concept offers a more holistic framework that is fundamental for addressing structural and other wider forms of inequalities in different fields and particularly in peace and security --a field that has for long been a male preserve as well as dominated by men. In approaching security from a human security perspective, WIPSEN-Africa seeks to highlight the security threats which confronts especially women and girls during wars/armed conflicts and in peace times (in both the public and private spheres). This WIPSEN-Africa holistic approach to security argues that the systematic and targeted engendered forms of violence against women and girls during armed conflicts/wars such as rape, forced prostitution, mutilation, battering, sex trafficking, and other forms of gender-specific torture are expressions of a deeper systemic disregard for women that exist in patriarchal African societies. Consequently, WIPSEN-Africa does not only advocate for the cessation of physical violence against women during armed conflicts and wars, but also for the deconstruction of structural forms of violence which discriminate against women and girls and exacerbate their insecurity. At the core of this is the goal to: 1) help women transform the negative image of 'victim' that is often ascribed to them in times of violent conflict to a positive and more assertive image of stakeholders for peace; 2) fight patriarchy; and 3) promote social justice.

Based on the above, in its programming WIPSEN-Africa is not only focused on addressing direct, physical and military sources of conflicts and insecurities. Special considerations are also given to a myriad of conflict-generating sources and (in)security issues ranging from the structural, psychological, food, health, to socio-cultural; thus broadening the security spectrum to encompass factors pertaining to freedom from fear, freedom from want and the right of particularly women, to live in dignity.

WIPSEN-Africa further believes that security should be defined by those who are least secure and this informs the highly consultative and participatory manner in which its programmes, projects and activities are designed, implemented and evaluated. Central to this strategy is the goal to empower women and attain gender equality in peace and security and thus a premium is placed on women/girls as agents of change and as key stakeholders/partners in peace and security discourse, structures/institutions, processes and relations. Ultimately, this strategy is aimed at ensuring women's full, active and visible involvement and engagement in both the governance and day-to-day operationalization of peace and security as prerequisites for the achievement of equality, good and democratic governance, development and sustainable peace in Africa.

WIPSEN-Africa's programmes are designed and structured from a rights-based human security perspective to reflect the above; and are divided into core and special programme areas. Both core and special programmes are tailored to address specific needs of different categories of women and consist of a number of inter-related sub-project areas.