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Role of Civil Society in promoting a Culture of Peace

Rachelle Tansley

When discussing the Role of Civil Society in Promoting a Culture of Peace we can us past stories to help us understand how we should promote Peace in Society. For example agricultural instruments in the local town, where the people used hem to sew the seeds plough the fields, which made life enjoyable and peaceful. Then when Cain started making violent instruments such as spears and hammers. The people used to them kill one another, to settle "old scores". Cain was very distressed by the killing of the people that was taking place in the society, which he thought within, the society, that the people followed by example. If the produced weapons, they become violent. So he began making the agricultural instruments again, and the people became peaceful. Working in the fields, becoming constructive and creative, working together. Peace and tranquility within the society. The moral of this story is that Peace is in our hands, whether we want to promote peace or disturb. That the kinds of examples we place within society effect the beliefs in the society.

The story by Oliver Goldsmith, about vicar wakefield, who taught school children morals and good behaviour, is very inspirational in the promotion of peace. Wakefield helped the people to become responsible and good friends. The work of one person and his own kindness to other promoted peace within the society. The moral of this story is that in every society, the role of each individual is of great significance, whether being or small we can continue with all our might for the welfare within our society.

There two ways in which we can promote peace within our society:

  1. Promoting Peace educationally, once people are educated, they think about the world, other cultures and religions. Peace co-existing in one world.

  2. Awareness of peace within a society, as before once people have become aware and educated about our world they can co-exist peacefully.

As a teenage girl, who has live her whole life within the Army, I have seen one part of the hard work of people, individuals who want Peace, although their reasons for war may not be considered correct, the beliefs of each individual, that I have known within the Army are the same. We want Peace within our world. We hope democracy will go further, to teach other toleration, respect for other people's opinions and their way of life. We are all human beings and we should live as equals and as friends. A very wise man once told me "It is not the colour of the skin but the content of the character that is important" in my opinion he couldn't be more right.

Bringing change in society, education and civil society play a key role in the promotion of Peace. Therefore I have some suggestions to make in this context.

The awareness of Peace and Non-violent in society, is a very important issue to discuss when trying to promote Culture of Peace.

Peace is very hard to create in world where there are so many wars and cultural disagreements. Human beings are obviously the cause of violence, through our variety of feeling (happy, sad, angry) we make our decisions. These decisions have consequence.

To promote a Culture of Peace we need to promote the idea and understanding that violence is wrong by:

To promote a Cultural of Peace we need to promote the idea and understanding that violence is wrong by:

  •  Educating others about Peace.

  •  Providing a peaceful environment in schools where children will not suffer verbal and corporal punishment.

  •  Teach children that violence is wrong, at an early stage of life.

  •  Provide advice to parents that abuse is wrong, may be giving suggestions of other ways to discipline their children, when they have done something wrong, instead of hitting them.

  •  Promote Peace in communities; change the attitudes of the community by allowing them to promote their understanding of non-violence, allowing communities to deal with their own issues peacefully.

  •  Promote the idea that any kind of violence, whether it be domestic or verbal, is unacceptable.

Promoting Culture of peace in Society is very important; people need to know that any kind of violence is unacceptable. We need to provide help of victims of violence, abused children, and victims of domestic violence. Violence should not be accepted and kept quiet. Victims need to come forward for help. We need to make people in society aware that if they suffer violent acts, they should seek help, like a Woman's Centre. Many victims of domestic abuse believe it is their own fault. Victims need help to realize acts of violence are unacceptable; there is no reason for violence.

The Government needs to provide stronger laws to protect people stronger laws to protect people from the acts of violence. These laws will influence the ideals that violence is wrong, like the Domestic Violence Act, which provides protective injunctions against violence, dispossession from the matrimonial home and alternative residence. With stronger laws, victims may feel more confident to come forward to the police, accept that they shouldn't have to hide away and suffer.

Peace and non-violent is very hard to accept when we live in a world where punishing your children at home or at school, is acceptable. These old-fashioned ideals need to be stopped.

It has taken Britain years to reduce violence. We have stopped the ideas that it is okay to hit your children that it is okay to abuse your wife/husband, with laws and the promotion of non-violence but even today people suffer whether it be terrorist attacks on trains or people fighting in the streets. But if you provide society with the education, awareness and help that they need, then they will realize that Peace is great thing.

By educating people and making them aware of Peace, they will understand others. They will not fear the differences but accept them. Fear is the main factor of violence, if people fear one another; they become hostile and violent, destroying society. By promoting the ideals of Peace, to love one another, educating people and making them aware of the world and the different cultures within our society, then they will follow by the examples given to them.

Source: International Seminar of Cultural Of Peace and Nonviolence Wardha, October 7 – 9, 2005

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