Source: National Times
It is more dangerous to be a civilian woman than a soldier in many conflict zones today.

That was the harrowing truth exposed by former UN Force Commander Major General Patrick Cammaert at the 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women held recently at the UN in New York.

In conflict situations today, UN Women estimates that 90 per cent of casualties are civilians. The majority are women and children.

And it is this situation that Australia is trying to address through the development and launch of a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. The National Action Plan responds to the call for all United Nation Member States to implement Resolution 1325 of the UN Security Council - a resolution unanimously adopted on October 31, 2000.  The Resolution calls on governments to increase the participation of women in peace negotiations, peace-keeping forces and the military.  It also calls on countries to introduce measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict.

Australia's appointment of a Global Ambassador for Women and Girls, the Review into the Treatment of Women in the Defence Force and the removal of gender restrictions from ADF combat roles are all part of this agenda.

The launch of Australia's National Action Plan was attended by ministers, public servants, senior members of the military and community groups. They were there to embrace a shared vision - a vision of a world where violence against women in conflict zones has no place, where women will not only take their rightful place at the peace table but will work to help reshape it.

Rear Admiral Tim Barrett, Commander of the Australian Fleet, Cate Buchanan, a long-time campaigner for the reduction of arms and violence and Julie Collins, the Minister for Women came together to endorse the plan, to applaud its intent and to declare their support.

Sexual assault is a much-used tool of war and the high levels of violence against girls and women resultd in unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS. This is the collateral damage of women's subjugation in conflict situations.

Australia joined other countries that have national plans including the US, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Uganda and Rwanda, and closer to home, Nepal and the Philippines.

Rwanda, in particular, is an example of the importance of women's participation in the reconstruction and development of a nation following widespread genocide. In Rwanda, the work is being led by a parliament in which 45 out of 80 seats are now held by women.

Yes, the national action plan has been a long time coming but it stands out as a plan built on the voices of many. By creating a national action plan Australia has committed to protecting the human rights of women in war and conflict and in empowering women as decision makers in working towards sustainable peace and security.

But to truly implement the plan the number of women in our armed forces must increase. Most importantly we need more women at the top leading the way, making the decisions. To achieve this will require deep cultural change. Having the best plan in the world is not enough. We must make sure it is properly monitored and evaluated and it is having the impact we expect.

As I undertake the second phase of my review into the treatment of women in Australia's military, I often reflect on why having women involved in the military and in peace negotiations matters. Why is it important that women in conflict zones are protected and supported to work towards peace? Why do we women wait to be invited into the peace negotiations and reconstruction work rather than just insert ourselves as so many men do?

There can be no clearer case as to why we need action than that of Hamida Barmaki. Hamida was a fellow Human Rights Commissioner and leading advocate on women's rights in Afghanistan. This time last year, Hamida, her husband and four children went to the market for lunch to celebrate the birthday of her 14-year-old daughter. Not one of them came home. They were killed in a suicide bombing.

As a professor at Kabul University, she spoke out about the rights of women in her own country. One of the young women she taught wrote movingly about Hamida's death, recalling a saying by Albert Pine: ''What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others, and the world, remains and is immortal.''

Hamida was a much needed agent of change in the peace process. It is for her and all the other human rights defenders around the world that we continue to work for change, to create a world where every woman, irrespective of her country of birth, can enjoy her fundamental human right to live a life free from violence.