NonviolenceNonviolence is the cornerstone in building a culture of peace. The core values of nonviolence-respect for life, and the pursuit of justice and dignity for all humanity-reflect key values from the world's main spiritual traditions. For some people, nonviolence is a set of values that bears witness to their religious beliefs. These values are shared by many people who do not identify with any particular religion. They also form the basis of important international human rights treaties.Nonviolence is a way of life. It is also a means to make social, political and economic change. Exploring nonviolence begins with looking at power. Many people define power as the opportunity to control other people or resources. In this definition, power is assumed to be based on violence: to gain more power over people or resources means using more violence. Nonviolence offers another definition of power. Nonviolence seeks to empower communities and individuals. It works to help people find power within themselves, and to share power. This is power inside and power with people, not power over others. Nonviolence assumes that power derives from cooperation. All systems
of injustice need people's cooperation to continue. A change in
the power relationship can occur when cooperation is denied or withdrawn.
More concrete examples of spiritually-based nonviolence include the Christian Plowshares movement. Inspired by the Biblical passage (Micah 4:3), which states "they will hammer their swords into plowshares", Plowshares activists enter military bases in Europe or the USA and hammer planes and other military equipment. They use the resulting court cases against them to educate the public about the suffering the arms trade creates. In another example, Buddhist monks and nuns in Cambodia now organize dhammayietras, traditional walks from village to village in order to explain Buddhist teachings, to spread life-saving information about HIV/AIDS, land mines, and the need for peace in order to rebuild the country. The Six Principles of Nonviolence
Definition by the King Center, USA
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GenderRefers to the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female and the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, as well as the relations between women and those between men.These attributes, opportunities, and relationships are socially constructed and are learned through socialization processes. They are context/ time-specific and changeable. Gender determines what is expected, allowed and valued in a women or a man in a given context. In most societies there are differences and inequalities between women and men in responsibilities assigned, activities undertaken, access to and control over resources, as well as decision-making opportunities. Gender is part of the broader socio-cultural context. Other important criteria for socio-cultural analysis include class, race, poverty level, ethnic group, and age. Definition by OSAGI , United Nation's Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues Gender Equality(Equality between Women and Men)Refers to the equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female. Gender equality implies that the interests, needs, and priorities of both women and men are taken into consideration while recognizing the diversity of different groups of women and men. Gender equality is not a women’s issue but should concern and fully engage men as well as women. Equality between women and men is seen both as a human rights issue and as a precondition for, and indicator of, sustainable people-centred development. Definition by OSAGI , United
Nation's Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues
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