Yudh Nahi Shanti: Not War, Peace
We, women and concerned citizens, drawing upon our historical heritage of nonviolence, call for the cessation of all forms of violent conflict and recommit ourselves to following the path of peace and nonviolence.
Women Against Violence is a campaign of Peacebuilders Forum, launched in March 2026. It is rooted in a simple and enduring truth: women are the most vulnerable in any war or violent conflict situation, and yet women are also the greatest defenders of peace.
In almost all conflicts, women struggle for the survival of their families and communities and often suffer unspeakable deprivation and humiliation. Women endure disproportionate violence because of the structured discrimination of being women.
In spite of all of this, women have a great affinity to peace. This campaign honours that affinity and calls on it to act.
During the First World War, one thousand women came together to create the International League for Peace and Freedom in 1917 — an organisation that successfully resisted military build-up and the ongoing war.
Throughout the nonviolent freedom struggle on this subcontinent, women played a significant role in building resilience against repression and hardship. That tradition of women standing for peace, at great personal cost, continues today.
Across the world there are a large number of women peacebuilders who offer knowledge, expertise as dialogue facilitators and mediators, and who negotiate for sustainable peace.
Cessation of hostilities in West Asia and end to armed conflict that has no moral or legal grounds.
Women to be placed at every dialogue table, not as observers but as full and equal participants
An end to daily structural violence: domestic violence, discrimination, economic exclusion and denial of dignity.
Campaign begins at Rajghat, where Gandhi was cremated and where the nation first renewed its vow of nonviolence.
April to May 2026, Through Communities. The campaign travels from Delhi to Mumbai, stopping at communities along the way to hold public meetings, conversations and peace gatherings. Each stop is an invitation to more people to join the call, to carry the message in their own communities and to stand together for peace.
Campaign arrives in Mumbai on International Workers' Day, completing the Delhi to Mumbai journey.
Holding an event can be as simple as gathering a few friends or colleagues for a conversation about peace and nonviolence. It could be a community meeting, a film screening, a letter-writing session to your local representative, or a public vigil. What matters is that you bring people together and carry this message forward in your own community. If you would like guidance or support in organising something, please write to us at the contact details below.