The war in Ukraine has led to the increasing celebration of toxic masculinity in the region. As a result, male identity is experiencing a serious crisis that affects a large number of men and women, writes Belarusian peace activist Olga Karatch in her article in the 2. edition of the "Feminists Connecting for Peace" magazine. She lists five ways to counter these patriarchal narratives.

In May 2024, Our House, the Belarusian International Centre for Civil Initiatives based in Lithuania, organised three webinars for Belarusian women dissidents to network, engage and share on issues related to feminist peace, peacebuilding, conflict prevention, militarisation and security. A total of 53 women anonymously participated in the webinars to discuss peace, non-violence and the challenges faced by women peacebuilders in the region. This project, supported by our Feminist Peace Initiatives, helped build solidarity among the women.

On 8 July 2024, the Brest Regional Court in Belarus sentenced the prominent Belarusian human rights defender and 2024 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Olga Karatch to 12 years' imprisonment and a fine of 170,000 euros under five criminal articles, including, among others, “conspiracy or attempted coup to seize state power by unconstitutional means”, “discrediting the Republic of Belarus” and “defamation of Aliaksandr Lukashenka”, the Belarusian president. Olga Karatch is the head of the Lithuania-based International Centre for Civil Initiatives Our House, which campaigns for the rights of conscientious objectors in Belarus. She is a feminist peace activist who promotes non-violent resistance to the militarised regime and society in Belarus and a member of our global network Feminists Connecting for Peace. We call for Olga Karatch’s protection and the respect of international human rights law.

Die belarussische Friedensaktivistin Olga Karatch, Gründerin der Organisation Unser Haus, engagiert sich für belarussische Dienstverweigerer und macht sich Sorgen, dass ihr Land in den Krieg gegen die Ukraine eintreten könnte. Sie war im September 2023 Gast an drei Veranstaltungen, die wir in Bern durchgeführt haben und ist Teil unseres globalen Netzwerks.

In an interview with Swiss newspapers the Belarusian peace activist Olga Karatch expresses her concern that her country could enter the war against Ukraine. In an article for our magazine, she writes about the impact of increasingly toxic masculinity on men and women in the region. She was a guest at events we held in Bern.