ROLE OF WOMEN IN PEACE BUILDING
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ROLE OF WOMEN IN PEACE BUILDING
ABSTRACT
Women in northern Nigeria have a monumental task in overcoming both direct and indirect assault. Domestic violence, political instability, socioeconomic inequity, and the threat of Boko Haram are among them.
Boko Haram is an extremist terrorist group renowned for kidnapping, raping, and torturing women and young girls in order to terrorise the Nigerian populace.
Northern Nigerian women have also faced obstacles inside their own communities, including being forbidden from engaging in public activities, being under-represented in government, being coerced into early marriages,
and frequently being victims of domestic abuse. The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of women in peacebuilding in Borno State, Nigeria.
In order to achieve the study’s objectives, the descriptive survey research design was used. 400 respondents were sampled, and the questionnaire was administered using the random sampling technique. The descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyse the data.
The findings show that religious, cultural, economical, and educational barriers, as well as a lack of skills and training, limit women’s ability to promote peace building in Borno State.
The findings also reveal that women play an important role in poverty reduction, conflict transformation, and justice, as well as the establishment of women’s groups and organisations to address issues affecting women. The study also indicates that women have an important role in promoting peace.
The study suggests that women and girls role models volunteer to visit group businesses and be personally twinned in a mentoring initiative. Monitoring the implementation of all important plans, policies, and legislation on a systematic basis.
CHAPITRE ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.Background of the Research
Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society with a population of over 160 million people, accounting for more than half of West Africa’s total population (Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, 2014). Nigeria has about 250 ethnic minorities, however the country is predominantly made up of three ethnic groups: Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa-Fulani (Gordon, 2003).
Religious differences also exist among the groupings. The Igbos live in the country’s east, where there is a strong Catholic presence. The Yorubas live in the country’s west,
where there are Protestant and syncretic Christian communities. The Hausa-Fulani live in northern Nigeria, where there is a large Muslim population (Mathews, 2002).
Nigeria, a former British colony, was established in 1914 in an attempt to consolidate British possessions (Falola & Heaton, 2008). As a result, the British authorities did not consult with the local populace throughout the foundation of the new state, resulting in ethnic, cultural, and regional tensions that persist to this day.
Chieftaincy disputes, land disputes, and political struggles amongst the various areas are among these issues. Various attempts have been made to address the issue of unequal distribution of income and political power,
such as quota systems, the federal character, and a rotational president among the various factions, but these remedies have proven fruitless. Conflicts have not been resolved as a result of the initiatives.
While the current conflicts in Nigeria are about power, resources, and ethnic divisions, women make up a considerable proportion of people who suffer as a result of the violence. Because we live in a patriarchal and male-dominated culture, women have more to lose when their sons or husbands are killed in a violent war.
Nigerian women are more likely to be evicted and subjected to physical, psychological, and emotional violence. Following the death of their male relatives, they may be forced to assume additional responsibilities as the head of their home in some situations.
As a result, women’s involvement in post-conflict peacebuilding is important to achieving a peaceful resolution (Ezurum & Eren, 2014). Women are significantly underrepresented or excluded from participating to the peaceful resolution of conflicts during peace processes (Women in International Security, 2012).
1.2 Statement of the problem
Women make up a larger proportion of individuals negatively impacted by violent conflict in northern Nigeria. They lose husbands, sons, and properties, and are subjected to horrible violence.
As the head of their household, most must assume additional responsibilities. They are excluded from contributing to the resolution of the dispute and the prevention of future conflicts during peace processes.
The historic United Nations Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security (UN, 2010) demonstrates the need of increasing women’s participation in peace processes. The resolution’s principles continue to receive global acceptance.
By 2013, seven regional organisations had established 1325 national action plans or policies, agreements, and protocols connected to them. (2014) (Miller, Pournik, & Wsaine).
The resolution’s easy implementation will necessitate dealing with contextual concerns at the local level, which vary from community to community. Several studies have looked into the significance of the resolution, but most have ignored the facts that make it hard to achieve this much-needed aim.
To unearth these realities, it will be necessary to examine women’s experiences from their own perspectives, the challenges they face, and their suggested ways for overcoming them.
The study’s findings will help various development agencies and other stakeholders involved in building peace efforts strategize for more successful programme planning and implementation.
This study seeks to comprehend the experiences of female leaders involved in peacebuilding and conflict resolution in northern Nigeria, as well as the significance of these experiences for women, particularly in Borno State.
The region, which is currently under siege by the Boko Haram extremist group, is home to Nigeria’s largest Muslim population, where women are unable to openly participate in public events. A brief overview of the region will set the stage for the research.
The impact of these violent wars on women in the northern region is significant in a number of ways. While some people have lost wives, kids, or close relatives, many others have lost their source of income as a result of the physical destruction and looting that often accompany these violent battles. The bulk of persons living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps are women and children.
Another goal of this research is to help peacebuilding practitioners construct a more effective conflict management system that includes the voices of women. To create an effective conflict resolution and peacebuilding programme, we must consider both men’s and women’s perspectives (Agbajobi, 2010).
Women make up half of the population in most communities, including northern Nigeria, and their participation is critical in resolving conflict concerns within these communities.
Women are primary carers for their families and have performed critical roles as peace activists, peacekeepers, relief workers, and mediators. These vital positions will go unfilled if women do not engage, which will have a detrimental influence on the community.
Women’s perceptions on gender and power dynamics, as well as other issues affecting their communities, may differ from the prevailing narrative. This will provide information on not only the experiences of women in conflict management in northern Nigeria, but also the experiences of men.
The study will focus on women’s peacebuilding initiatives, exclusion from formal peace procedures, and perceptions of exclusion from the peacebuilding process. The knowledge gained from their experiences can be used to highlight their problems and create suggestions for changing the status quo.
1.3 Objectives of Research
The study’s goal is to look into the role of women in peacebuilding in Borno State, Nigeria. The precise goals are as follows:
Identify the roles of women in peacebuilding in Borno State study the factors influencing women’s participation in peacebuilding in Borno State assess the extent to which women significantly impact peacebuilding roles in Borno State
1.4 Research Question
The following research questions were posed in light of the research objectives:
What responsibilities do women play in peacebuilding in Borno State?
What variables influence women’s peacebuilding involvement in Borno state?
How do women in Borno State contribute to peacebuilding?
1.5 Research Proposal
The following hypotheses were developed in accordance with the research objectives:
H01: Women play a crucial role in peacebuilding in Borno State
1.6 Significance of Research
Involving women in peace procedures and taking their concerns into account will undoubtedly help to address violent violence in volatile northern Nigeria. This will necessitate a comprehensive examination of their lived experiences in order to determine the obstacles they confront when acting in conflict issues in the sake of long-term peace initiatives in this region.
According to the International Crisis Group (2006), when sufficiently supported, women’s peace initiatives can have a substantial impact on vast segments of the community and be a powerful force in decreasing violence and developing democratic and participative public institutions, especially in post-conflict situations.
Women are underrepresented in the formal conflict settlement process, although playing a critical role in the informal peacebuilding process. Society suffers when women are excluded. Women make a difference,
according to the International Crisis Group (2006), in part because they take a more inclusive approach to security and address crucial social and economic issues that would otherwise be ignored.
Women can help in the rehabilitation of children associated with armed groups, as well as convening people across conflict lines to discuss common concerns. It will necessitate methods to reduce the barriers to their participation in peace processes, and successful implementation of the resolution will necessitate dealing with contextual challenges that differ between locations.
Several literatures have concentrated on the significance of the resolution, but many have neglected the facts that rendered its main purpose impossible to achieve. To unearth these facts, one must first study women’s experiences from their own perspectives,
the challenges they face, and their tactics for overcoming them. Studying women in northern Nigeria, where women’s issues have been forgotten and ignored, is a great field of study for better understanding the larger topic of gender imbalance in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
1.7 Scope of the Research
The research is limited to the Nigerian state of Borno. Borno State is the core of the Boko Haram insurgency, which has spread over northern Nigeria, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.
Women in Borno have organised and participated in several marches, rallies, campaigns, and protests to bring attention to human rights violations and to demand involvement and action for peace.
The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign was one of the most widely publicised activities they took. The initiative, which was intended to be a one-day march in 2014 to bring back the Chibok schoolgirls, now includes a request to return all girls and women home.
Research Outline and Chapter Summary
This first chapter gives an overview of the research. It described the historical framework of British colonialism, which led to present political, geographic, and ethnic tensions within the Nigerian community. It then emphasised the suffering of northern Nigerian women who are forced to manage institutional violence.
Chapter 2 examines previous scholarly research on gender and conflict, the influence of United Nations Resolution UNSCR1325, and the negative impact of banning women from public activities. It will also present the study’s theoretical basis.
Chapter 3 describes the study’s methodology, focusing on Clark Moustaka’s approach to performing transcendental phenomenological research methodologies and procedures.
The purpose of this research is to look into the lived experiences of female peacemakers who reside in a place that is particularly hostile to gender equality.
The fourth chapter covers the important findings from face-to-face interviews with seven female peacemakers in northern Nigeria. Chapter 5 is the research’s conclusion, and it includes talks of the study’s significance, implications, and prospective future research directions.
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