Peace Her Way

Giving girls a bigger role in peace and security

By Leah Chebet

My name is Leah Chebet, and today I want to share an idea that I believe can give girls a bigger role in peace and security. I call it Peace Her Way.

A Girl Who Notices

Let me start with a simple situation. Imagine a girl whose friend suddenly stops coming to school. Maybe she has noticed that her friend is being bullied, abused at home, harassed online, or is afraid of someone. The girl may know that something is wrong, but she may not know who to tell. And sometimes, by the time the adults find out, the situation has already become serious.

This made me think:

What if we listened to girls earlier?

Because girls see and hear a lot of things that adults may not notice. We know what happens in our schools. We know what happens among our friends. We see what happens online. We sometimes notice tension between people before it becomes a bigger problem.

Peace Champions

So my idea is to create a group of girls called Peace Champions. These would be girls who are trained to recognize warning signs of conflict, violence, bullying, harassment and other security concerns.

But I want to be very clear about something. I am not suggesting that girls should confront dangerous people or try to investigate crimes. No. Their job would be very simple:

Notice.

Report.

Connect.

Prevent.

For example, if a girl notices that bullying is becoming a serious problem in her school, she should know where she can safely report it. If girls are experiencing harassment online, they should have somewhere they can talk about it. If there are signs of tension between different groups in a community, that information could be raised before the situation becomes violent.

Safe Ways to Speak Up

There could be different ways of reporting depending on the community. It could be through a trusted teacher, a female mentor, an anonymous suggestion box, SMS or another safe reporting system. The important thing is that the girl should feel:

I can speak without putting myself in danger.

The Peace Pulse

I also want to introduce something I call the Peace Pulse. Once a month, Peace Champions could collect anonymous information about the problems girls are experiencing. For example, maybe bullying is increasing. Maybe online harassment is becoming a bigger issue. Maybe girls are feeling unsafe in a certain area. Instead of waiting for something serious to happen, we look at these warning signs and ask:

What can we do now?

From Warning Signs to Action

That is where the idea becomes more than just a reporting system. The information can be used to start conversations and find solutions.

If bullying is increasingWe can have dialogue and peer-support activities.

If online harassment is increasingWe can teach girls about digital safety.

If girls are reporting violenceThey can be connected to the appropriate support services.

If there is tension between young people or groupsWe can create safe spaces for dialogue.

And most importantly, girls themselves can be part of those conversations.

Girls as Peacebuilders

Because when we talk about Women, Peace and Security, I don't think women and girls should only be seen as victims who need protection. We can also be part of preventing conflict and building peace.

Starting Small

My plan would be to start small. I would choose one school or community, talk to girls about the issues they are actually facing, train a small group of Peace Champions and introduce a simple and safe reporting system.

Then we could test the idea for a few months and see what works. We could look at things like:

How many girls were trained
What concerns were identified
What actions were taken
Whether girls felt more comfortable speaking up

If it works, we can expand it to other schools and communities.

Questions People May Ask

Of course, there are challenges.

Some people may askWhat if a girl gives a false report?

That is why the Peace Champions would not accuse or investigate anyone. They would simply raise concerns through the proper channels, and trained adults or relevant professionals would handle the situation.

Others may askWhat if reporting puts the girl in danger?

That is why safety and confidentiality would be at the centre of the project. A girl should never be asked to confront the person causing the problem.

Another question might beWhy girls?

My answer is not that girls are better than boys. It is because Women, Peace and Security is about making sure women and girls have meaningful participation in peace and security. And if we want girls to become future leaders, we should give them opportunities to lead now.

Changing One Thing

So, for me, Peace Her Way is about changing one thing.

Instead of waiting until we ask,"What happened?"

We should start asking,"What are girls noticing?"

That is the difference between simply reacting to a problem and trying to prevent it. I don't expect Peace Her Way to solve every problem. But I believe it can start something important: a culture where girls are listened to.

Because sometimes the first person who notices that something is wrong is not a police officer, a politician or a community leader. Sometimes it is simply a girl talking to her friend. And if we listen to her early enough, we might prevent a much bigger problem.

A Final Question

So I will leave you with this question:

What if the girl who sees the warning sign today could help prevent the conflict of tomorrow?

That is what Peace Her Way is about. Not making girls responsible for keeping everyone safe. But giving girls a voice, giving them a safe way to speak, and giving them a place in building peace.

Because girls should not only be protected by peace. Girls should also have the opportunity to build it.

Peace Her Way-Girls as Early Warning