The rise of violent religious extremism and its impact on women and communities worldwide is an urgent and deepening crisis. From Nov. 19-21, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice will convene its 10th international working conference, “Defying Extremism: Gendered Responses to Religious Violence Design,” to examine the issue and gendered strategies to confront this disturbing trend. The conference will be held at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre, San Diego, USA.
Responding to a call from its Women PeaceMakers network, the IPJ and its partners will bring together local and international policymakers, religious leaders, security sector representatives and peacebuilders to discuss the support and interventions needed to defend human rights in contexts where extremist voices in religious communities call for violence, rather than tolerance and peace.
In particular, the conference will focus on the ways in which women and women’s rights are often the first to be targeted by violent religious extremism, and what strategies women and their allies are using to combat the polarization of their communities, assert their rights, and create the space for moderate and/or interfaith dialogue to establish peace.
Conference information: Please contact Conference Coordinator Iveta Niederle at iveta.niederleATgmail.com for information about the conference and any application/registration questions.