In search of a path to peace in Southeast Africa

This article is part of our Special Report Women and Leadership which coincides with global events in March celebrating women’s achievements. This conversation has been edited and condensed.

Deborah Julio, 36, has a past that has shaped her role as an advocate for women’s rights and conflict mediator between the southeast African country of Malawi, where she lives, and neighboring Mozambique.

Ms. Julio lost her father when she was 2 years old and dropped out of primary school after losing her mother. She eventually studied to become a minister and now owns a grocery store in her town. Her first husband died in a car accident in 2016 and she has since remarried. Today, she has two stepchildren and three children from her previous marriage. In addition to advocating women’s rights as chairman of the Women’s Movement in Mangochi District, Malawi, and as secretary of the District Peace and Unity Committee (DPUC), Ms. Julio assists in conflict mediation, supported by UN Women Malawi.

Ms. Julio’s work is especially relevant because she lives in an area affected by religious conflict, violence surrounding border disputes, and a high rate of early marriage.

How did you end up becoming a peace mediator?

In 2016 I followed a conflict and peace building training in Mangochi. Then I was selected to become one of the first members of the DPUC, a volunteer group that supports the local council in resolving conflict and building peace. I was chosen as secretary.

UN Women learned about our work and invited me to attend a Women’s Movement training where they provided us with skills to tackle gender-based violence. I was then elected chairman of the Mangochi Women’s Movement group.

What initiatives have you worked on?

They include a row over central government and religious disputes between Muslims and Christians in the district. I also intervened in a possible human trafficking case where a person from Mozambique pretended to have an interest in marrying a community member from Lulanga (in Malawi) but intended to traffic her.

For the Women’s Movement, I have intervened on issues that have the potential to disrupt community peace. For example, in Lulanga there was a case where five boys raped a fourteen-year-old girl. Her parents decided to keep the matter hidden to avoid public embarrassment, but we informed them about the need to take the child to a hospital and also helped them report the matter to the police. The perpetrators are now serving their prison sentences.

There was also a case where a community health worker tried to entice a 14-year-old girl to sleep with him in exchange for a job. The girl needed money to survive. The matter was reported to the chief, who ordered the health worker to leave his area and pay a fine of three goats and 100,000 Malawian Kwacha ($60).

Can you give a specific example where your gender influenced the way you approached conflict mediation?

There was recently an issue in a village in the district where men opposed a woman taking on a leadership role in the community. The village chief led the opposition. I approached him and used my own example as a woman in a leadership role to show him that women can succeed as leaders. A few weeks later I heard that the community had accepted the woman, and that she had now taken over the position.

Can you explain the approach you have taken to prevent tensions from escalating into violence? What role does early warning play in your work?

Historically, some areas have been prone to violence, especially when it comes to land disputes. By monitoring these areas, the Women’s Movement saw undercurrents of tension brewing in a place called Makanjira, along the Mozambican border. We had to intervene when accusations started between two villages around land demarcation.

Before the villagers could mobilize each other to do more damage, we intervened by meeting with leaders from both the Malawian and Mozambican sides. We came up with a solution where communities were given a piece of land. At this time there is no discussion about the boundary for that piece of land. Another positive side is that women and girls are often affected by these border disputes, but in this case, women from both sides are allowed to farm on their designated lands and help support their families.