Peace huts evolved from Palava huts as peacebuilding hubs in Liberia to deal with
women’s problems. Initially focused on counselling former child soldiers after the civil
war or women in grief, from 2006 the Peace Hut women embarked on becoming
change agents for peace.256
Rural women resorted to this community-based
mechanism to raise socio-legal issues that affected them, working with fellow women
since 2011.
257
The Peace Huts in many instances are a continuum of women’s
struggles to resolve conflict at the personal and communal level, and address SGBV
with communities and justice and security sectors.258 Peace Huts offer powerful
platforms and spaces for female leadership, peacebuilding initiatives and economic
empowerment.259
By meaningfully promoting peace through these initiatives, women increased their
relevance in reconciliation. The Peace huts also foster practices like counselling,
referrals and conflict resolution. UN Women supports these Peace Huts, which are
linking up with formal law enforcement institutions; the Police in some regions linked
up with the women of the Peace Huts, providing them with mobile phones and later
on a toll-free line as part of a referral pathway to report cases of violence against
women.
260
UN Women integrated training for women and sensitization of
communities for peacebuilding and offering support for or micro-credits schemes as
part of an economic empowerment initiative.261
i) National Programme of Action
The APRM National Programme of Action (NPoA) is the outcome document of
governments’ commitment to undertake governance objectives that have been
256
UNFPA ‘Liberian women’s organization, Gambian minister, selected as 2019 UN Population Award laureates’
23 May 2019. Available at https://www.unfpa.org/fr/node/19886
257
UN Women ‘From conflict resolution to prevention: connecting Peace Huts to the police in Liberia’ September
19, 2012
258
Rights
and
Rice
Foundation
‘Women
Peace
Huts’
Available
at
http://rightsriceliberia.com/program/conflict/peace-huts
259
Medium ‘Peace Huts: Building a sustainable and peaceful future for Liberi’ April 2019. Available at
https://medium.com/@UN_Liberia/peace-huts-building-a-sustainable-and-peaceful-future-for-liberia8004b7ca22f6
260
Wild L and Brown B C ‘Evaluation of UN Women’s Contribution to Increasing Women’s Leadership and
Participation in Peace and Security and Humanitarian Response: Liberia case study ODI 2013
261
UN Women ‘From conflict resolution to prevention: connecting Peace Huts to the police in Liberia’ September
19, 2012
87