Women in Security covers a wide-range of issues as it explores the link between women, security, and development. As a forum to stimulate discussion and instructive debates, the NATO Association of Canada will examine the ways in which women both contribute to and are the focus of Canadian and NATO defence and security initiatives. This program also offers a critical look at the structures and institutions that shape the role of women in security at home and abroad.
On the streets of Kabul, advertisements depicting the faces of women are sprayed painted over. In a fitting metaphor for the regression of the gains made in the last 20 years, it took only days for years of progress to unravel following the withdrawal of American operations on August 31st and the Taliban’s sweeping takeover. In the following interview, NATO Association of Canada Junior Research Fellow Brynn Hopper sat down with Sally Armstrong to discuss the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, its implications for women’s rights, and the international security threat it poses.
As the country observes its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Caleigh Wong explores the history between Canada’s Armed Forces and its Indigenous peoples. From Oka to the Proud Boys, repeated disappointments in the Forces’ commitment to protect all Canadians demands greater efforts for reconciliation in the military and across all federal institutions.
In this article, Brynn Hopper explores Poland’s backsliding on women’s rights issues and the implications of a near total ban on abortion.
Intersectionality and lived experience, though standard concepts within many policy areas, has been largely absent from military diversity and inclusivity initiatives. In this article, Caleigh Wong explores the Canadian Armed Forces’ current leadership crisis through this lens to understand how a broader understanding of identity may help inform long-overdue institutional reform.
In this article, Caleigh Wong investigates the debate surrounding female conscription and Sweden, one of the few countries who has incorporated it into their defence policy. The Sweden case study offers justification for this practice through both a gender parity and operational effectiveness lens, but also presents shortcomings in its ability to meaningfully contribute to true equality.
The current institutional crisis underway in the Canadian Armed Forces is not only a domestic issue with extensive human costs for servicewomen and men, but a potential threat to broader Canadian international defense capabilities. In this article Caleigh Wong discusses the current investigation into sexual misconduct in the military and what this means for an organization crucial to upholding Canada’s democracy.
In this article, Nicole Dougherty, explores how NATO and the UN have approached the topic of Women and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). The article explores how the organizations have created policies and practices meant to address this issue and provides some policy suggestions on how they can improve them in the future.
Mary Peplinski discusses the fragile peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban, and examines how an early withdrawal of American troops could worsen violence and compromise advances in women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Author Mary Peplinski showcases a unique program in Morocco where female Quranic scholars are helping to counter radicalization. She explains why other countries should look at developing similar programs to increase the effectiveness of national CVE strategies.
COVID-19 and Womens Rights: Ethan Schwartz showcases the hidden impact of COVID-19 on Gender-Based Violence.
