Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, also known as the Voice of Women or VOW, is a Canadian anti-nuclear

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

organization that was formed in 1960. The organization was created in response to an article in which Lotta Dempsey, a journalist for the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', called out for action against the threat of

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear w ...

and asked women to work together for peace. After the article was published, a group of women contacted Dempsey and formed a

women's organization This is a list of women's organizations ordered by geography. International * Alliance of Pan American Round Tables – founded 1916 to foster women's relationships throughout the Americas * Arab Feminist Union – founded 1945 * Associated Cou ...

called the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace. The organization's work has spanned multiple decades and is Canada's oldest

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

peace group.

Historical background

Peace activism A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peac ...

expanded throughout much of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

during the mid to late twentieth century due to the controversies and violence surrounding the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

and

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. In particular, many Canadian women resisted and opposed these two political wars. To fight against the expansion of

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...

and weapons during this era, the number of women-led Canadian

organizations increased substantially. Specifically, many Canadian women questioned the potential environmental and health impacts resulting from

nuclear warfare Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear ...

Membership

The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace grew to six thousand members shortly after its formation in 1960. Originally, women joined the organization to combat the proliferation of nuclear technologies during the

. However, as the membership quickly increased throughout the country, the organization participated in multiple forms of

anti-war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...

activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in Social change, social, Political campaign, political, economic or Natural environment, environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes i ...

. Many women who joined the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace participated in

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as n ...

efforts,

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

and

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

work within their respective communities. Throughout its first few months of activism, the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace quickly became one of the largest Canadian peace movement organizations. Prominent women associated with the VOW include Beatrice Ferneyhough, Thérèse Casgrain, Ursula Franklin and Grace Hartman (trade unionist), Grace Hartman.

Structure

The organizational structure of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace has historically been based on a

approach of building and promoting peaceful cultures. To accommodate the large membership across the country, the VOW has branches in multiple major Canadian cities. Throughout the years, the advocacy work of each branch has been organized by the National Central Committee (NCC). The NCC is the VOW's governing body that maintains the organization's feminist goals and creates different peace-building advocacies throughout the country. The NCC also connects the activism, campaigns, and projects of each VOW branch to one another.

Activism

Campaigns

The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace organized several campaigns throughout the

and

. During the

, the organization collected baby teeth in

and demonstrated that they contained high amounts of strontium-90. Led by member and research physicist Ursula Franklin, the campaign showcased the dangerous effects of nuclear weapons and radioactive materials within the atmosphere. By presenting the reported increased levels of strontium-90 in baby teeth throughout the continent, the VOW pressured the Government of Canada, Canadian federal government to promote a Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. During the Vietnam War, the organization developed a knitting campaign to help Vietnamese people, Vietnamese children living in conflict zones. Ontario VOW branch member Lil Greene led over 500 women to knit camouflaged clothing pieces for Vietnamese children. This campaign addressed the dangerous living conditions and survival tactics of Vietnamese children during the Vietnam War. The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace's campaigns have influenced other women to form their own peace organizations in countries such as New Zealand, Scotland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The VOW's

has most commonly been associated with the United States grassroots organization Women Strike for Peace (WSP). Although the WSP was a larger organization that focused more on demonstrative activism in comparison to the VOW, the two feminist organizations shared similar goals and collaborated at national and international peace conferences. Specifically, several WSP members were inspired to join the VOW's knitting campaign as they also opposed the Vietnam War. Until the WSP's disbandment in 1975, the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace maintained a close relationship with the United States

feminist organization.

United Nations

Since its formation in 1960, the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace has worked with the United Nations. The organization held an International Conference of Women in 1962 where members came up with ways to fight against the threat of Nuclear warfare, nuclear war. From this peace conference, the VOW requested that the United Nations create an International Year of Peace. Throughout the mid to late twentieth century, the VOW attended and participated in several United Nations conferences aimed at peace and conflict resolution. Most recently, the United Nations 2000 adoption of the Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security was successfully approved due to the work of VOW and other international peace groups. This resolution acknowledged the protection of women and girls in conflict areas and also called for a gendered perspective on peace and security issues. The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace is a recognized non-governmental organization within the United Nations and is associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications, Department of Public Information and the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Economic and Social Council (United Nations Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC). The VOW also currently holds consultative status within ECOSOC.

Current activism

The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace's

currently focuses on issues relating to climate change, Fighter aircraft, fighter jets and sustainability. The organization argues against Military–industrial complex, military-industrial government spending and advocates for the dissolution of NATO. The VOW is a group representative on the Canadian federal government's Consultative Group on Disarmament and Arms Control and the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.

References

{{Anti-nuclear movement Anti-nuclear organizations