Report from the Women Peacemakers Program on what countering terrorism is costing gender equality and security

Tightening the Purse Strings: What Countering Terrorism Financing Costs Gender Equality and Security, was published by our affiliate the Women Peacemakers Program along with the International Human Rights Clinic at Duke University, in March this year. It analyses how countering terrorism financing rules impact women’s rights organising, women’s rights organisations, and gender equality.

'Introduced in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001, the international community brought a new focus and urgency to prioritizing countering terrorism financing, including through criminalization, sanctions and freezing of assets, and de-risking. To date, the gender and human rights implications of these countering terrorism financing policies have escaped scrutiny....As a direct and indirect result of these rules, women’s rights organizations have lost critical access to resources, as well as the ability to fully use banking facilities, all of which circumscribe how, where, and in some cases, even if, women’s rights organizations can undertake their core work on mobilizing human rights, gender equality, and advancing the women, peace, and security agenda.'

Read the report here.