/ Feminist policies for peace and empowerment
cfd is a feminist peace organization which is active in international cooperation, migration politics and which works for peace.
cfd believes in a good life for all people, men and women of any ethnic background or religion. Starting with a wide understanding of peace, cfd works for equal rights and equality so that everyone can use resources and public space and also take part in society and politics.
cfd asks critical questions about what happens to people when they are looked at only as a man or woman or as part of their culture or background. cfd, analyses, from a feminist point of view, the connections between violence in war and violence in daily life and also between the way people are stopped from taking part in society and from using resources.
cfd develops ideas, policies and projects to stop discrimination and violence and in relationships as well as the beliefs that keep them in place. The empowerment of women is central to cfd. It is a place to learn empowerment for the local population and migrants, co-workers and project partners, activists and others who are interested. All these people help to make cfd what it is by working with it and in it.
The history of cfd
The cfd began with a Christian wish to help.It was started by Gertrud Kurz who helped Jewish refugees from Germany after the Nazis came to power there. After the Second World War this developed into cfd. As a recognized relief and peace organization, cfd was active in helping refugees, supporting projects in conflict areas and campaigning politically against racism, colonialization and militarism.
In the early 1980’s, in connection with its anti-military activities, women in cfd began to ask why peacemaking activities were being divided into private and public areas and they also saw that there was structural violence in the relationship between men and women. They developed a feminist criticism of military, political and religious power structures, took part in the development of feminist theologies and joined women’s and peace networks. In 1981 the Women’s Center for Peace was established to give a structure to cfd’s feminist ideas and policies. In 1997 a meeting of cfd members accepted its first feminist policy program.
Feminist peace activities
cfd starts and supports empowerment projects. For cfd empowerment is the way people and groups get power. It wants women and girls to be able to use and control resources and it wants to change the relationships between women and men so that there is more fairness and equality. Empowerment projects make it possible to change discriminatory images and ways of seeing things and to try out ways of sharing resources and power in a fairer way. These projects help to increase people’s skills, make policies and plan political activities.cfd has empowerment projects in relation to Swiss migration which help to build political networks and a feminist voice in migration policymaking. cfd also helps women’s organizations in the Mediterranean area which have their own empowerment projects and are active politically to increase women’s freedom of action.
The development of peace
cfd shows, from a feminist point of view, how violence can be prevented and non-military conflicts can be ended. In doing this, cfd looks at all the forms of violence and discrimination in peace and in war and makes people think about women’s safety.
cfd is against the militarization of peace processes. It also shows that the idea that peace is feminine and militarization is manly is wrong. cfd shows that security theories and policies that can only see borders controlled by police and soldiers are not the only possibility: there is also the feminist way to peace which supports empowerment and networks of people to make sure everyone can use resources and take part in politics.
Resources for feminist peace policies
cfd is a non-government organization and is not a part of any political or religious organization. Its projects are supported by private persons, private and public institutions and church organizations through donations as well as by their good wishes.