Book on BARMM women’s experiences in armed conflicts launched

COTABATO CITY — Stakeholders launched on Tuesday, Herstory, which tells narratives about the ordeals of women from the Muslim, Christian and non-Moro indigenous communities during armed conflicts in the Bangsamoro region in years past.

The Bangsamoro Herstory book, authored collaboratively by officials of the Mindanao State University (MSU)-Maguindanao with the help of contributors, including women who suffered from the consequences of armed conflicts, was published with the help of the United Nations Development Programme and the government of the United Kingdom.

The 220-page book was launched on Tuesday afternoon at the campus of the MSU-Maguindanao, led by the university’s chancellor, Bai Hejira Nefertiti M. Limbona, peace advocates and the women whose saddening experiences were mentioned in its chapters.

Ms. Limbona and her subordinates in the MSU-Maguindanao are staunch supporters of peacebuilding and women-empowerment programs in provinces and cities in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The drafting of the Bangsamoro Herstory by officials of the MSU-Maguindanao lasted for months, according to Ms. Limbona.

The MSU-Maguindanao has a Diploma in Women, Peace and Security postgraduate program, the first of its kind in Asia and has lessons aiming to maximize women’s participation in peace and security efforts in the local communities. — John Felix M. Unson