Author: Kalpalata Dutta
What are the first images the word conflict brings before anyone of us, whether we are connected to human rights work or not? War? Violence? The wounded? Destruction?
Upon a little more reflection, you realise that conflict may also be around us – in arguments within the family, disputes between colleagues in the work place, or difference between political leaders over issues of public concern. And, in diverse societies where multitude of viewpoints and practices have the space to flourish, such conflicts are perhaps natural. They bring to the fore differences in viewpoints and opinions, and lead to something new – a change from the status quo.
Such change, be it for the good or the worse, is part of the process of learning and growth. Therefore, conflicts are not necessarily bad in nature.
However, differences may also lead to violence. Such as a conflict within the family can sometimes lead to domestic violence. And domestic violence is wrong and must be condemned.
Then, how do we define conflict? What kind of conflicts in society are not acceptable? What is the relationship between conflict and human rights?
The Dimensions of Conflict
Noted sociologist Johan Galtung has defined conflict as:
“..actors in pursuit of incompatible goals.” (Galtung, Theories of Conflict)
This definition captures the essential dimensions of a conflict: actors, pursuit, incompatible, goals. Let’s briefly explain these four dimensions.
1) Actors: Imply the parties to a conflict. The parties to the conflict may be equal in terms of the power they hold in society, in which case, the conflict is horizontal in nature. Or, the power relations between the parties to the conflict may be asymmetrical in nature, meaning, one party to the conflict may be in a position of exercising power over the other, or exercising control over the other. In such case, the parties to a conflict can be depicted in a vertical order.
2) Pursuit: The actors may be pursuing the conflict through positive and constructive ways (dialogue) or through negative ways (use of violence, spread of hatred, etc.).
3) Goals: Imply interests or positions. These may or may not be very well defined and structured.
4) Incompatible: Refers to differences in positions, interests, or goals.
These four dimensions help in understanding the different scale of conflicts and their dynamics.
The Dimensions of Conflict: An Example
Let’s take the example of a disagreement between spouses in marriage. Disagreements in a marriage are not unnatural. They are common. However, the use of violence by the husband changes our understanding of the conflict and our response in a number of ways.
First, domestic violence signifies that there is unequal power relations between the spouses, with the husband drawing his power from the structure of patriarchy.
Second, use of violence upon the person of another is wrong and must be addressed. Therefore, the immediate response would be to provide protection to the wife from the husband. This would include providing her physical and material security so that she can take decisions about her marriage and life.
Third, the spouses would have to decide about their marriage – is the husband open to changing himself and his behaviour? Or should the wife seek a divorce?
You may well ask, what is the nature of incompatibility in goals in this case? Well, there are societies in which women have internalised patriarchy to such extent that domestic violence is accepted by them as prerogative of the husband. In such cases, women do not make a complaint before an outsider, even as they suffer violence – they accept it as their fate and part of a marriage. Even if there is violence within the marriage, there is no conflict. The violence is accepted.
However, conflict arises when the woman refuses to be subjected to violence and makes a complaint. There is incompatibility between the spouses regarding the understanding of a marriage. While the wife believes that it should be based on respect for the dignity of each other, the husband believes otherwise.
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How Conflict and Human Rights is Related
Where does human rights come in all this? What is the relationship between conflict that is manifested by violence, and human rights? Let’s find out.
Michelle Parlevliet in “Rethinking Conflict Transformation from a Human Rights Perspective”, has suggested that human rights are both symptoms and causes of conflict. The metaphor of an iceberg is used to explain this. The top of the iceberg that is visible, refers to the apparent violations of human rights – such as torture, or disappearance, or violence against women.
The part of the iceberg that is below the water line represents the causes of violence that are not apparently visible. This refers to the structures in a society or governance that results in human rights violations.
For example, inequalities in opportunities and access to resources that cause asymmetry in power relations in society, or laws that give unchecked powers to the State, or laws that discriminate against people on the basis of their gender, ethnicity, political opinion etc.
In conclusion, in describing the relationship between conflict and human rights, we could say that human rights violations are both the symptoms and causes of a violent conflict.
We will unpack these concepts through different tools in the next posts.
Cover icon: Icons made by Freepik from Flaticon.