From the beginning of our work (October 9, 1991), we have:
MADE VISIBLE NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE to militarism, war, sexism, nationalism. In short, all aspects of violence towards and discrimination against women and all those people different ethnically, religiously, culturally, sexually, ideologically. Up to now we have organized around 700 peaceful actions on the street (protests, performances, campaigns…).
BUILT A WOMEN'S SOLIDARITY NETWORK, PEACE COALITION AND ALLIANCE
against all patriarchic political control over women, all kinds of ethnic homogenization, independent of all state and ethnic borders and divisions. Our goal is to prevent conflicts, to resolve conflicts through dialogue, and above all instigating the active participation of women in the building of peace, in peaceful processes, and demilitarization. We began the International Network of Women in Black and organized ten meetings of that network. We founded the Women’s Peace Network/Network of Women in Black in Serbia. we are active members of a number of international peace networks. Towards this work we have received a number of international recognitions (including the first Millennium Peace Prize for Women from UNIFEM, the UN Development Fund for Women), and we have been nominated numerous times for the Nobel Peace Prize.
DEMANDED A PERMANENT CONFRONTATION WITH THE PAST
accountability for war and war crimes, trying all those suspected of war crimes in the Hague tribunal. But also a confrontation with both the moral and political collective responsibility, though street actions, appeals, petitions, campaigns, attendance at commemorations, seminars, and conferences.
PRODUCED A WOMEN'S ALTERNATIVE HISTORY AND RECORDED THE OTHER THER INTO HISTORY
by means of extensively publishing, works (ten books in the series "Women for Peace", many monographs, peace planners, calendars, and readers—altogether around fifty titles).
ORGANIZED PERMANENT PEACE EDUCATION
by means of seminars, workshops, courses about feminism, pacifism/antimilitarism, nonviolence, interethnic/intercultural solidarity, reproductive rights, and alter/globalization. Up to now we have held tens of international conferences, many seminars, hundreds of workshops, etc.
DEMANDED DEMILITARIZATION AND DISARMAMENT
by means of complete acknowledgement of all kinds of conscientious objection through peace education, campaigns, actions of civil disobedience, etc.
WE CHOOSE
ANTIMILITARISM
Antimilitarism and non-violence are our spiritual orientation and our political choice. We reject military power and the production of arms for the killing of people, of human working nature, and for the domination of one sex, nation, or state over another.
We speak out for recognition of difference, reciprocity, respect for nature, and for development in accordance with the needs of the civil population, and not the civil and military oligarchy and their national interests.
Women have always defended their homelands by their work—the raising of children, giving emotional and material support to the elderly and powerless, all through their invisible and unpaid work in the home. Therefore, we think that our attachment to and love for our countries (homelands) in general does not require that we espouse whatever view held by in the army. We do not what to attain equality with men in that way. On the contrary, men must achieve equality with women by not exerting violence over women and not to making use of the army, but rather through participating in the bringing up of children, in housework, to care for the elderly and powerless….
The participation of women in the army, military institutions, or arms training—whether voluntary or obligatory—displays neither sexual equality nor military democratization. We advocate not only for a society without soldiers (male or female), but also for a society without the militaristic (soldierly) values which produce war, discrimination, violence, and aggression.
WE CHOOSE ANTIMILITARISM
Women in Black
