White Poppy Peace Scholarships
Awarded for research in 2011

The White Poppy Peace Scholarships for research in 2011 were awarded to Karly Christ and Audrey Wong, please scroll down this page for information about each recipient.

Photo: Victoria University

Karly Christ Karly is completing a Masters in Development Studies at Victoria University, Wellington. Her research is titled: 'Maihe Koe? Kihe Koe? Rapa Nui women, land and the struggle for sovereignty'.

In recent months, the Chilean government has deployed hundreds of armed soldiers to Rapa Nui, to quell the growing calls from the indigenous population for control over ancestral land. Karly's research explores the vital role women are playing within the land sovereignty movement, the ways in which women are voicing their aspirations within the movement, and what enabling conditions exist for achieving their goals.

By exploring the non-violent strategies the women are using to make their voices heard in the context of a military occupation, Karly seeks to understand whether and how incorporating women's voices could make attaining goals for indigenous land rights more effective. Her research will be completed in June 2012.

Audrey Wong Audrey is completing a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago. Her research is titled: 'Gender-Based Violence during Military Presence and Occupation: A Case Study of Timor-Leste 1974 to 2010'.

Audrey is investigating the conditions that facilitated the high level of reported incidences of sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by armed forces in Timor-Leste during the Indonesian military occupation from 1974 to 1999, and the post-conflict military presence from 1999 onwards. She will be examining the similarities and differences between the two periods.

The aim of her research is to identify variables that are associated with an increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence during times of military occupation / military presence to assist in developing preventative mechanisms in the future. Audrey's research will be completed in March 2012.