Women’s voices: essential yet excluded
Women are at the heart of peacebuilding in East Africa: mediating conflicts, protecting human rights, and holding communities together. Yet when it comes to decisions about Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), their voices are still too often missing. A new policy brief, Women’s Leadership in FoRB, published by the University of Groningen together with the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA) and supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calls attention to this gap. It outlines the challenges and opportunities for strengthening women’s leadership in FoRB initiatives and offers practical recommendations to ensure women can play a central role in shaping inclusive and resilient communities.
Persistent challenges, emerging voices
Across the Horn and East Africa, women make up more than half the population but often remain sidelined from leadership in both peace processes and religious institutions. For instance, while women often constitute up to 90% of congregants in certain churches, their representation in leadership roles is strikingly low. Patriarchal cultural and religious narratives continue to confine women to the private sphere, undermining their authority and excluding them from decision-making.
At the same time, women’s contributions are indispensable. They mediate conflicts, address human rights abuses, and contribute significantly to FoRB-related peacebuilding initiatives. Yet, during a workshop with academics, policymakers, practitioners in Kenya one of the participants noted: “Stereotypical religious narratives, coupled with cultural factors, reinforce patriarchy and subordinate women and girls, thereby limiting women’s access to leadership positions.” Other participants reflected on how discriminatory interpretations of law and guardianship practices prevent women from assuming roles in decision-making, despite religious texts themselves underscoring the need for gender equality.
Discussions also highlighted how intersectionality shapes women’s experiences. Women from minority or indigenous communities often face overlapping oppressions linked to gender, ethnicity, and religion. Islamophobia and discriminatory legal frameworks further compound these challenges, limiting women’s agency and leadership in FoRB and peacebuilding spaces.
Policy recommendations
The policy brief suggests concrete steps to strengthen women’s leadership in FoRB initiatives. Key recommendations include promoting gender-inclusive interpretations of religious texts, institutionalizing support for women’s leadership in religious spaces, and empowering women with leadership, literacy, and public speaking skills. Male allies and community buy-in are seen as critical for ensuring sustainability of these efforts.
The brief also recommends addressing structural and legal barriers – such as guardianship laws – that restrict women’s mobility and participation. Strengthening legislation to protect women’s rights is highlighted as a precondition for advancing FoRB and peacebuilding. Finally, participants emphasized the importance of funding local, women-led FoRB initiatives, which can create discursive spaces for women and girls to voice their concerns and contribute to building inclusive, resilient communities.
To find out more, download the full policy brief here.
The publication draws on insights from the Reimagining the Role of Religion in Building Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies workshop, held in Nairobi in November 2024. At this event, academics, policymakers, practitioners, and JISRA partners shared experiences and concrete strategies for meaningfully including women and girls in FoRB initiatives. The policy brief was developed in collaboration with Mensen met een Missie, the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies, the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya, and the Technical University of Mombasa.
