Women and violence in Boko Haram: new opportunities to prevent radicalisation

Abstract

Violence against women is a reality that has been present throughout history in different civilizations, but only in recent years it has begun to occupy a space in the political agenda.

Violent practices against women and girls become more acute in societies where other factors are present, such as social and economic inequality, weak institutions or the persistence of a patriarchal culture. In this sense, Nigeria is one of the most vulnerable countries. This situation has worsened after the emergence of the terrorist group Boko Haram in the northern regions, the most disadvantaged in the country. Boko Haram has developed a strategy unknown to date in the area, based on the recruitment and use of women and girls for its terror strategy. This research highlights the importance of uncovering the reasons that lead the group to employ women and girls to spread terrorism, the strategy Boko Haram use for that purpose and the role female play within the group. The main objective of this paper is to present prevention as a policy for lasting peace. Thus, the following lines of research are proposed. Firstly, the role of women in the Nigerian society is analysed as key actors in the prevention of violence. Secondly, we develop a study of the potential of the regional organization, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to implement preventive measures related to the recruitment of women. In this way, it will be analysed a phenomenon that has led to an increase in violence in West Africa through a case study. This research is based on interviews with experts, secondary sources and databases and reports from well-known organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, Global Terrorism Database, UN Women or the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).