Danske Kvinders Fredskæde (Danish Women's Peace Chain) is the original name of the Danish branch of the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

. It was founded in 1915 following the

International Congress of Women The International Congress of Women was created so that groups of existing women's suffrage movements could come together with other women's groups around the world. It served as a way for women organizations across the nation to establish formal ...

held in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. The organization was aimed at developing national branches of women calling for more active support for peace once the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

was over. Early activists from

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

included Thora Daugaard (1874–1851) and Clara Tybjerg (1864–1941). Other early members of the organization included Benny Cederfeld de Simonsen (1865–1952), Henni Forchhammer (1863–1955), Eline Hansen (1859–1919), Eva Moltesen (1871–1934), Louise Wright (1861–1935) and Else Zeuthen (1897–1975). While they were all middle class, the women had varying backgrounds. One was a school teacher, another was active in politics, there was a philanthropist and two of them were writers. They succeeded in building up membership not only from their friends and colleagues but from members of the working class including the trade unionist Henriette Crone (1874–1933). In 1925, the organization was renamed Kvindernes Internationale Liga for Fred og Frihed (KILFF) in line with the parent organization. By 1919, there were 12,000 members. The organization's journal was published from 1924, titled ''Fred og Frihed'' (Peace and Freedom) in 1926. Thora Daugaard headed the organization from 1920 to 1941. In connection with the 1932

World Disarmament Conference The Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments, generally known as the Geneva Conference or World Disarmament Conference, was an international conference of states held in Geneva, Switzerland, between February 1932 and November 1934 ...

, members of the KILFF collected 437,457 signatures calling for disarmament. In the late 1930s, it also took part in the international campaign for rescuing Jewish children from

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. In 1947, the KILFF became a member of the Danish Peace Council, a chapter of the

World Peace Council The World Peace Council (WPC) is an international organization created in 1949 by the Cominform and propped up by the Soviet Union. Throughout the Cold War, WPC engaged in propaganda efforts on behalf of the Soviet Union, whereby it criticize ...

. KILFF has continued to work with other organizations intent on peace and disarmament. In the 1990s, it was an active supporter of women's projects in war-torn countries, especially the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. Today, its work places emphasis on trafficking in women and in addressing the UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Kvindernes Internationale Liga for Fred og Frihed
— Danish organization's website Pacifist feminism Peace organizations based in Denmark Women's organizations based in Denmark 1915 in Denmark Women's conferences 1915 establishments in Denmark

See also

References

External links