On 16 September 2016, Mirjam van Reisen introduced the theme of the conference ‘Women and War Violence’. This conference was organised by the organisation War Requiem – Bridge to the Future, with the goal to promote awareness of war, peace and freedom by remembering the ‘Battle for Arnhem’ in the Netherlands.
The 11th conference of Bridge to the Future centered on the theme of women and war violence. In her opening theme, Mirjam, who holds the Marga Klompé chair linked the theme with the work of Marga Klompé, the first female minister in the Netherlands, who also played an important role in the resistance during the second world war. In addition, Mirjam discussed the role that gender plays in war and the effect that war has on women, as well as on men. The entire speaech (Dutch) can be viewed below.