Conflict affects everything that we do in our work at Christian Aid, whether in typical ‘conflict zones’ or not. Here we take a closer look at what conflict means, the difference between violence and conflict, and the roles they play in our fight to eliminate poverty.
Conflict in itself is not always a bad thing, unlike violence which is always destructive. Very little change happens without some conflict, for the simple reason that people who hold power at the expense of others will usually want to hold on to it.
Challenging the status quo
Think of the suffragettes who fought for the vote for women in Britain, and the resistance that they encountered. Conflicts broke out in households as well as in parliament. This conflict was an indicator of the fact that their challenge to the status quo was a serious threat, and indeed in the end the balance of power between women and men changed hugely in 1921 when women were granted the vote.
‘Without peace there can be no development’
Today many of our partners around the world are going through similar struggles for the most basic human rights. As an organisation with a mandate to challenge and change the systems which favour the rich and powerful over the poor and marginalised, Christian Aid cannot shy away from this sort of conflict.
For example in Egypt, the demand for labour rights to be recognised and protected has at times created conflict between our partners and the Egyptian government.
But we would not be living up to our pledge to help in practical ways to root out poverty if we did not support our partners in this work.
Violence, Conflict and Development
There is a difference, however, between conflict and violence.
While conflict can be an indicator of change, violence represents the breakdown of the systems which protect people from abuse. Violent conflict is often a result of huge power imbalances and the failure of those in power to be accountable. Christian Aid condemns all forms of violence.
Violent conflict has a huge impact on development – in fact one can truly say that without peace there can be no development.
Take the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has recently come out of five years of war. The conflict in the DRC destroyed the infrastructure – the railways, the roads, many schools and hospitals – and the economy, as people couldn’t work or trade securely. The war set DRC’s development back years.
Now Christian Aid is working with partners to demand what they need from the government; the re-building of the infrastructure, and the security to start re-building their lives and going about their daily activities.
Conflict can also trigger serious emergencies, such as Darfur. This can represent many challenges for aid agencies, from protecting the security of our staff, to the delivery of aid in situations where many refugees and vulnerable people are themselves actively involved in the conflict.
Power relations
Conflict is ultimately about power relations, and we must seek to understand these – at the household level, at community level and right the way to the national and international levels, if we are to be able to deliver aid and promote development in a way that reaches the poorest of the poor and promotes equality.
We must understand the way conflict and violence affects men and women, boys and girls, differently. For example, 75 – 80% of the world’s refugees are women and children, as men are often killed or forced into armies or militias.
Children suffer in conflict too. As well as family separation, displacement and the trauma of war, boys especially, although girls too, may be forced to become child soldiers. We need to recognise these trends in order to be able to provide appropriate services which meet people’s needs and reduce their vulnerability to different threats.
Eliminating poverty
In order to meet our purpose to eliminate poverty, Christian Aid will continue to seek to understand the effects of conflict and violence in everything that we do.
We will not shy away from the frictions we may create with those who hold power as we challenge the systems that keep people poor. We will continue to work for a fairer world, where all have the right and the opportunity to live to the full – and this means a world where conflict can be dealt with constructively without violence.