In a sunlit room in Switzerland this February, a phrase lingered with the soft insistence of a shared breath: peace is more than the absence of war. Between tranquil Alpine horizons and global tensions, the movement known as Femmes socialistes gathered not merely to repeat an old refrain but to probe what peace truly means in an age of layered conflict and persistent inequality. In their words, peace must bear the stamp of justice and the imprint of feminist insight—a peace that listens as closely to whispers as it does to declarations.
At their recent assembly, a hundred delegates affirmed what many have felt but seldom voiced so clearly: that pacifism, to be meaningful, must be shaped by lived experience, especially that of women who bear disproportionate burdens in times of war and peace. Their position paper, adopted with thoughtful intent, goes beyond slogans to ask fundamental questions about how Switzerland engages with the world and with its own social fabric.
Central to their appeal is a call to ban exports of war materiel to regions beset by conflict, a stance that reflects not just opposition to violence but a conscious choice to prioritize investments in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and nonviolent communication. In their view, peace is not a passive condition but an active project, an investment in humanity that should occupy as much political space as budgets for weapons and militarized intervention.
The Femmes socialistes also oppose extending compulsory military service to women—a proposal they see not as a step toward equality but as an imposition into patriarchal structures they believe are part of the problem rather than the solution. For them, equality cannot be measured by participation in systems they consider inherently linked to violence.
Their critique also touches on broader societal priorities. When political leaders choose spending on tanks over funding for programs addressing gender-based violence, they argue, they reveal a misalignment between rhetoric on equality and actual commitments. This is not a rejection of national security but a reframing of it—one that places human security at the center rather than the instruments of war.
In speaking of peace as a feminist project, Femmes socialistes invite us into a reflective space where peace isn’t merely defined by treaties or the silencing of guns but by the quality of our collective relationships—within societies and across borders. It is a conceptual shift, gentle yet deliberate, asking us to widen our lens and consider whose voices are heard when peace itself is discussed.
Theirs is not a fiery denunciation but a compassionate insistence that peace must be pursued as actively as any war, with strategies built on inclusion, dialogue, and justice. In this call, we hear echoes of other movements around the world that refuse to settle for a peace that is merely the negation of conflict, and instead demand a peace that is affirmative, equitable, and enduring.
As the debate continues in Switzerland’s public squares and political arenas, the Femmes socialistes have carved out a space for a narrative of peace that embraces feminist values not as an afterthought but as the foundation of a more just and humane world. Their message is subtle yet persistent: to build peace, we must first reimagine it.
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Sources : • Watson • ATS (Agence Télégraphique Suisse) • Swissinfo • RTS • Le Temps