EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2002, 55 percent of global conflicts existed in Africa, falling to 24 percent by 2011. By November 2017, there were 15 conflict situations in Africa, all exhibiting the crime of trafficking in women. Modern forms of violent conflict have blurred the lines between traditional battlefields and combatants and civilian spaces and populations. The proliferation of cross border movement in arms and narcotics, terrorism and violent extremism have fuelled national and regional conflicts with an intangible, often faceless yet violent corps of belligerents that target civilians, particularly women and children. Conflict has adverse implications for men and women, but there is demonstrable evidence that it affects women and girls disproportionately. Factors such as age, personal status, religion, ethnicity and socio-economic status compound women’s vulnerability, creating multi-layered risks of oppression, discrimination and insecurity. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995 identified the grave challenges that women face in conflict, such as displacement, loss of homes and property, family disintegration and sexual violence. Forced displacement in particular, has created a humanitarian crisis in multidimensional ways, resulting in a vast number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Durable solutions to addressing conflict from a preventative, management and recovery dimension require the involvement and meaningful participation of both men and women. Regardless of women’s critical contributions to peacebuilding, particularly at the grassroot and community level, the majority of decision-making in governance and formal peace processes is male-led and dominated. When qualifications for participation in peace negotiations and mediations are characterised by military, defence and diplomatic experience, women are treated as ineligible as these are predominantly male dominated fields. The well-developed skills that women in peacebuilding have built in communication, dialogue, networking, mediation, conflict resolution and strategic engagement are discounted as soft skills. 4