In peace building, inclusion is essential. But inclusion is not simply about inviting more people into the room. It is about understanding who can participate safely, who is being left out, and who may face harm because of their identity, status, or position in society.
This is where intersectionality becomes important. Intersectionality helps us understand that people do not experience risk, privilege, exclusion, or power in the same way. A person’s experience is shaped by the combination of their identities, such as gender, age, disability, ethnicity, displacement status, marital status, religion, political affiliation, or sexual orientation.
For example, the risks faced by women in a fragile setting are not shaped by gender alone. A young, unmarried woman, a widow, a displaced woman, a woman with a disability, or a woman from a minority group may each face very different barriers and dangers. Without an intersectional lens, these hidden risks can easily be missed.
Why Broad Categories Can Hide Real Risks?
Peace building programs often refer to broad groups such as “women,” “youth,” “minorities,” or “community members.” While these categories are useful, they can also hide important differences within groups.
For example, a consultation may appear diverse on paper because women, youth, or minority groups are present. However, this does not always mean they are able to speak freely or participate safely. Some participants may remain silent because of fear, stigma, family pressure, political sensitivity, or community expectations.
Intersectionality helps reveal questions such as:
Who is present but unable to speak? Who is missing from the room entirely? Who may face backlash for participating?
Who is being represented by others, and are those representatives truly reflecting diverse experiences?
By asking these questions, peace builders can move beyond surface-level inclusion and better understand the real risks people face.
Hidden Risks Faced by Marginalized Groups!
An intersectional approach can uncover risks that are not always visible during standard program planning.
For example, minority women may attend a meeting but remain silent because speaking publicly could expose them to community pressure or retaliation. Survivors of violence may face stigma simply for being seen at a public event. LGBTQI+ individuals may need to hide their identity completely for safety reasons.
Power differences can also exist within the same group. Older or more influential women may dominate a discussion, while younger women, unmarried women, displaced women, or women from poorer households may be excluded or discouraged from speaking.
Practical barriers also matter. Displaced women may lack documentation or safe transport. People with disabilities may be excluded because a venue is not accessible. Youth may face risks such as tokenism, intimidation, political pressure, or recruitment by armed actors, depending on their gender, employment status, education, or political affiliation.
These examples show that participation is not automatically safe or meaningful. Peace builders must look carefully at who is included, how they are included, and what consequences they may face.
Applying Do No Harm in Peace building!
The “Do No Harm” principle means ensuring that peace building activities do not unintentionally increase conflict, exclusion, stigma, violence, or vulnerability.
Every program decision can shift power dynamics. The choice of venue, timing, participant selection, language, technology, visibility, or benefits can either reduce risk or create new harm.
To apply Do No Harm effectively, peace builders should assess risks before, during, and after every activity.
Before designing an activity, ask:
- Who could be put at risk by participating?
- Who might be excluded because of the location, timing, language, technology, or format?
- Could the activity reinforce existing power inequalities?
- Who controls access to participants?
- Could program benefits create jealousy, stigma, or retaliation?
- What information must remain confidential?
- What safeguarding or referral systems are needed if someone discloses harm?
These questions help peace builders identify risks early and adjust their approach before harm occurs.
Designing Safer and More Inclusive Activities!
Many risks in peace building programs come from ordinary logistical decisions.
For example, holding a meeting in an official government building may make some people fear surveillance or political association. A neutral venue or multiple safe spaces may be more appropriate.
Relying only on local leaders to select participants can result in elite capture, where influential people control who gets access. Using mixed recruitment channels can help reach people who are usually excluded.
Mixed public meetings may also prevent some groups from speaking honestly. Women, youth, minorities, survivors of violence, or politically sensitive groups may feel safer in separate or targeted consultations.
Timing and accessibility are equally important. A meeting held during standard working hours may exclude caregivers, daily wage workers, people traveling long distances, or people with mobility challenges. Peace builders should consider flexible timing, transport support, childcare, translation, and disability accommodations.
Protecting Identity and Managing Visibility!
Visibility can create serious risks in fragile settings.
Publicly identifying vulnerable groups, taking photos, sharing attendance lists, or highlighting participants in reports can expose people to stigma, retaliation, or violence. Even a group photo can create harm if participants are later recognised by family members, authorities, armed actors, or community members.
Peace builders should always seek informed consent and avoid photographing or publicly identifying sensitive groups when there is any risk. Sensitive identity data must be protected with strict confidentiality.
Inclusion should never come at the cost of safety.
Avoiding Harmful Assumptions About Inclusion!
One of the most important lessons from intersectionality and Do No Harm is that participation does not automatically equal empowerment.
Someone may attend an activity but feel unsafe, unheard, or pressured to agree with others. A person may be invited into a process but still lack the power to influence decisions.
Peace builders should also avoid pushing social norms too quickly without safety strategies in place. Rapid change can sometimes trigger backlash against the very people a program is trying to support.
Do No Harm is not a one-time checklist. It requires continuous monitoring and reflection. Programs should regularly ask whether activities are creating unintended consequences and whether adjustments are needed.
A Training Intervention to Put These Principles into Practice!
To address these risks, peace building organisations can introduce a practical training intervention for staff, partners, and community facilitators. The training should help participants understand how intersectionality and Do No Harm principles apply to real programming decisions. The training can include short case studies, role-play exercises, and risk-mapping activities based on common peace building scenarios. Participants can practice identifying who may be excluded, who may face backlash, and what adjustments are needed to make activities safer and more inclusive.
A useful training module could cover:
- How overlapping identities shape access, voice, and risk.
- How to identify hidden barriers within broad groups such as “women,” “youth,” or “community members”.
- How to design safer consultations, venues, recruitment processes, and communication methods.
- How to manage confidentiality, consent, visibility, and safeguarding concerns.
- How to monitor unintended harm before, during, and after an activity.
By building these skills, the training helps peace building teams move from good intentions to safer practice. It ensures that inclusion is not treated as a checklist, but as an ongoing responsibility to protect participants, reduce harm, and create meaningful opportunities for marginalised groups to influence peace building efforts.
Key Intersectional Questions for Peace builders!
To apply an intersectional lens, peace builders can ask:
- Which identities increase access and influence?
- Which identities increase exposure to harm?
- Who is invisible within broad categories such as “women,” “youth,” or “community members”?
- Who may face consequences for participating?
- Who is speaking on behalf of others?
- What differences exist within the same group?
These questions help reveal hidden power dynamics and prevent programs from making harmful assumptions.
Conclusion
Intersectionality strengthens peace building by helping practitioners see risks that may otherwise remain hidden. It reminds us that marginalised groups are not all affected in the same way and that inclusion must be safe, meaningful, and context-sensitive. When combined with Do No Harm principles, intersectionality helps peace builders design programs that reduce exclusion, protect participants, and avoid unintended harm. True inclusion is not only about who is invited. It is about who can participate safely, who can speak freely, and who can influence change without being placed at greater risk.