Militarisation means more than "just" spending on armed forces: this spending is the consequence of a security policy geared towards war. As a feminist peace organisation, we oppose the claim that more weapons lead to more security. We demand demilitarisation and disarmament because that is the only way to achieve genuine peace and comprehensive security.

From a feminist perspective, militarisation is a form of violent masculinity that reinforces or reconstructs a patriarchal system and is closely intertwined with other systems of oppression, such as racism and colonisation. The consequences of investing in military armament are far-reaching and profound, for society as a whole and especially for women.

More money for rearmament means that cutbacks are made elsewhere. This means that rearmament happens at the expense of education, health, social services, which are basic services and thus the responsibility of the state.

People instead of profit maximisation

Security should not be understood in military terms but in socio-political terms. Comprehensive security means that the economy focuses on people and not on profit maximisation of individuals and companies. Demilitarisation therefore requires a shift in investment away from military armament towards a society that puts the well-being of all people at the centre.

The demand for demilitarisation is the logical consequence of our understanding of feminist peace policy and an important focus of our political work, among other things with our commitment to end gender-based violence. Because even after successful peace negotiations, the proliferation of weapons has been proven to lead to more violence against women.