Intimidation, Smear Campaigns, and Eventually Exile
Intimidation, Smear Campaigns, and Eventually Exile
Because of her work to prevent armed conflict and build sustainable peace in her home country, Anna has been the target of smear campaigns, online threats, and intimidation.
“We had a lot of online threats. And now, it’s getting worse. In the past months, it’s been terrible, terrible, terrible –– not just for me, but for our group, our [network].”
Eventually, staying in her home country was no longer an option and Anna was forced into exile in search of safety. Being forced to leave your home country is a particularly acute kind of trauma––a rupture of identity, family bonds, and ancestral roots. Even in exile, Anna has been intimidated by state actors for speaking out at the United Nations and receives threats online.
“We had a lot of online threats. And now, it’s getting worse. In the past months, it’s been terrible, terrible, terrible –– not just for me, but for our group, our [network].”
Anna, Feminist Peacebuilder
Credit: RDNE
The Power of Collective Care
The Power of Collective Care
When we spoke to her, Anna talked about the severe toll this backlash was exacting on her physically and emotionally––and how much collective care has allowed her to heal. At a gathering of activists from around the world, she had the chance to participate in a healing circle with other activists.
“Our friends from Guatemala led a collective therapy exercise and I never thought that they would be able to bring out very deep traumatic emotions from all of us. We really need this. Because we try to heal our communities, but we [must] also heal ourselves. And it’s beyond self-care. The power of the collective is very, very strong,” Anna told us.
It can be easy to forget that peace is not a passive state: it’s a precious thing that requires commitment and effort. And it can come at great cost to activists like Anna and her colleagues.
“I am now getting smeared for being a peacebuilder, every time we say the word ‘peace’, we get hit by it. Using the word ‘peace’, for being a ‘peacebuilder’ you are now considered a traitor.”
Solidarity with Women Peace Builders
It’s the 25th anniversary of the historic Women, Peace, and Security agenda—a framework acknowledging that women’s contributions are essential to bring lasting peace for all of society. Despite the essential role they can play in building sustainable peace, women represented just 6 percent of mediators, 6 percent of signatories, and 13 percent of negotiators in peace processes tracked from 1992 to 2019. A quarter century later – and with active conflicts at the highest levels in nearly 80 years—this is a vital moment to recommit and stand alongside peacebuilders like Anna.
A donation to Urgent Action Fund supports the safety and security of women, trans, and non-binary people acting now for a more just and equitable world. We support activists who are at risk, under threat, and under-represented, and we provide funds to help them protect themselves and their communities as they challenge systems of oppression. Consider making a gift today.
Illustration: Nafisa Ferdous
Credit: Tong Su