Women and Nonviolence Project

The Women and Nonviolence Project seeks to affirm nonviolent initiatives
women are taking on different issues in different countries; provide a forum
for women to share their strategies and experiences in nonviolent action;
strengthen women's nonviolent networks; and encourage action as part of an
international campaign on nonviolence.  The project, sponsored by The Life
and Peace Institute, the sub-unit on Women in Church and Society of the World
Council of Churches and the Women's Department of the Lutheran World
Federation,  will be a three-year process, carried out with the guidance of
an International preparatory committee.  For more information contact Di
McDonald at Network Information Project, 30 Westwood Rd, Southampton, S021DN,
UK.

The following is an open letter I wrote to the Women and Nonviolence project.

Dear Sisters, I read about the Women and Nonviolence Project in the WRI
Women's Newsletter.  I am a nonviolent activist living at Commonground
Community near Seymour just north of Melbourne in Australia.

I was very involved last year with organising the WRI women's conference,
Women Overcoming Violence.  It was a fascinating and wonderful experience but
I won't ever undertake that sort of project again.  It brought a large number
of women together from different backgrounds and experiences but the issues
covered in the conference were too broad.  On reflection, it was my feeling
that it would be much better to organise something smaller.  Or to organise
something such as you are, where women "share their strategies and
experiences in nonviolent action; ... and encourage action as part of an
international campaign on nonviolence".  I was pleased to discover you have
it well underway.

One of my personal goals for the next few years is to work on building firmer
alliances between feminists and nonviolent activists.  The groups share
extremely similar values and are working toward a shared vision of the world.
And it seems clear to me that nonviolence is widely used by the women's
movement but often not in a systematic or conscious way.  This results in
women continually being drawn into patriarchal structures and systems - men's
business - instead of stepping out and away and defining action for
ourselves.  For example, too often we get drawn into reacting to the state
and legal structures, or spend time begging desperately for funding from
those we wish to undermine. Or we get wrapped in patriarchal management
processes and play the game in academia or the professional world.

The community where I live, Commonground, is built on the principles of
feminism, nonviolence, and anarchism.  The community has spent many years
organising their business/organisation with feminist collective process and
now teach their skills to others.  Much of our work is with women's
organisations.

The Melbourne Nonviolence Network, in which I also work as an activist, has
developed much more from an 'action' perspective.  Members work on a variety
of environment, peace, women's and social justice issues.  Later this year,
as part of the Melbourne Nonviolence Network, I am hoping to initiate a
women's affinity group working with a group of women who have an explicit
commitment to nonviolence.  The affinity group is part of a broader
experiment where six such groups operate separately but are linked through
common philosophy to support each other's activities.  I am open to what
issue and focus we will be working with though I am tentatively exploring 
the arena of violence against women and/or sexual violence propaganda.

So from this context several questions arise for me:
* How can we as women make our best contribution to social change?  And what
does "action" mean for us?
* What issues, with what focuses (this will differ from culture to culture)
will get at the core of patriarchy without just reacting to or getting drawn
into patriarchal structures, systems processes and issues?
* How can we support each other more consistently to increase the access we
can have to our power?  What empowerment processes do we have?  How can we
integrate the spiritual in all we do ?
* What group processes best serve the interests of us and all life?

I would love to hear from women who have considered/are considering these
things.  Especially WHY women think particular issues might lead to
undermining patriarchy in their cultures.  And I hope you will keep me in
touch with the process and outcomes of the project.
Margaret Pestorius

Di has already replied to me with notes from meetings in Britain of a
thorough evaluation of ten years at Greenham Common.  People wanting more
info or wanting to dialogue further can get in touch with me at Commonground,
PO Box 474, Seymour, Vic 3661, Phone (057) 93 8257.