{"id":430,"date":"2021-06-27T11:53:46","date_gmt":"2021-06-27T11:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bbforpeace.org\/blog\/?p=430"},"modified":"2021-06-27T11:53:48","modified_gmt":"2021-06-27T11:53:48","slug":"womens-involvement-in-grassroots-peacebuilding-in-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbforpeace.org\/blog\/2021\/06\/27\/womens-involvement-in-grassroots-peacebuilding-in-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Involvement in Grassroots Peacebuilding in Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Oluwaseun KOLAWOLE, Director of Partnership, Building Blocks for Peace Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All over the world, women and children take the brunt\nof the world’s conflicts and wars. During these conflicts, they are often exposed\nto unimaginable horrific atrocities: massacres, sexual assaults such as\nkidnapping and sexual slavery, forced marriage and mutilations (forced\npregnancies and HIV \/AIDS); rape is actually being used as a weapon of war. Although\nit is well known that the realities of women and girls vary from those of men\nand boys, in conflict management and peacebuilding initiatives and processes,\nwomen and girls are largely invisible. It is not because of any biological or\nstructural reason that women or girls are unable to participate in violent\nconfrontation, it’s because in their path, there are obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, women are often seen only as powerless\nvictims of violent wars, rather than as agents of change whose ability can be exploited\nin peace processes. They are frequently confined to a passive role and their\nimpacts are neglected in the reconstruction of peace, community rehabilitation\nand national reconciliation. (Development and Implementation of National Action Plans on\nUNSCR 1325 and Related Resolutions: The Guideline by WANEP, 2012<\/a>). It is generally accepted that women are not the\nprimary perpetrators of violence and, as such, are not significant in the\ndiscourse on peace and security. The contribution of women is therefore often\nrestricted to trivial, cosmetic or logistical contributions, indicating their\nstatus as ‘wives and mothers’ rather than as active actors. The absence of\nwomen from structured conflict management and peacebuilding programs and\nprocesses in general represents their absence from public life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women’s advocates\nfor peace and constitutional participation have long adopted a rights-based\napproach to the issue: women have the right, as half of the population of a\nsociety, in these decision-making processes that will influence their lives, to\nbe represented. Since the adoption of its landmark Resolution 1325 on Women,\nPeace, and Security in 2000, the United Nations Security Council has also\nrecognized the importance of increasing women’s participation in conflict\nresolution and peacebuilding processes, particularly at decision-making levels (O\u2019Reily,\nSulleabhain and Paffenholz, 2015).<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evidence\nshows that peacebuilding and reconciliation processes, when women are\nsignificantly involved, have higher rates of success and are more likely to\nlast. An analysis of 40 peace processes in 35 countries over three decades\nfound that an agreement was almost always achieved when women’s groups were\nable to effectively influence a peace process. In addition, a study of 182 peace\nagreements signed between 1989 and 2011 found that a peace agreement is 20%\nmore likely to last for at least 2 years and 35% more likely to last for at\nleast 15 years if meaningful representation is guaranteed for women<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto O\u2019Reily, Sulleabhain and Paffenholz, (2015), to incorporate elements that\nlay the foundations for peace and shape the structures of society, peace\nprocesses increasingly go beyond outlining cease-fires and dividing territory.\nYet, the participants who decide the former continue to decide the latter by\nand large. The inclusion of others has not kept pace; those who did not take up\narms, those who worked for peace, or important parts of the population whose\npriorities for a peaceful society may differ. Peace processes, traditionally, have\nconcentrated on bringing to the negotiating table the combatants, who are\nrarely women. While women have moved from the kitchen and bedroom to the\nboardroom table at a reasonable level, there has been only a slow progress in\nwomen’s participation in decision-making processes around the globe and in the\ncontext of this study, Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 is the first UN resolution that acknowledges the disproportionate effect of war and conflict on women, highlights the reality that women have traditionally been left out of peace processes and stabilization initiatives. The Resolution calls on the bodies of the United Nations and the Member States to pursue a variety of actions to increase women’s representation and engagement in conflict prevention, management and resolution, and to involve them in peace-making, peacekeeping and peace-building activities in the process. It also seeks to foster respect for and preservation of women’s rights, ensuring that women ‘s security is strengthened in situations of conflict and post-conflict. (UN Security Council,\u00a0Security Council resolution 1325 (2000)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A woman greets Members of the Technical Committee of the peace, security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region as the TSC conducts a field visit in Mugunga IDP camp near Goma, the 20th of May 2014.\r\rThe Technical Support Committee of the peace, security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region meets in Goma for its 7th session \u00a9 MONUSCO\/Sylvain Liechti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Participation,\nwhich is the first pillar of the UNSCR 1325 calls for increased participation\nof women at all levels of decision-making, including in national, regional, and\ninternational institutions; in conflict prevention, management and settlement\nmechanisms; in peace talks; in peace operations, as troops, police and\ncivilians; and as Special Delegates of the U.N. Secretary-General. The\nPrevention pillar also calls for supporting local women\u2019s peace initiatives and\nconflict resolution processes. (UN Security Council, Security Council\nResolution 1325, 2000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over\nthe years, the resolution has been a means to raise the voices and leadership\nof women, strengthening their involvement in peace processes and leadership in\nsecurity structures, and taking peace-building grassroots initiatives to an\ninternational level. There is no doubt that UNSCR 1325 has been a major\nmotivating factor for women to contribute and be ably represented in the\ndecision-making levels, at the grassroot inclusive. <\/strong>It has also\nhighlighted that a lot can be achieved when the society (especially women) is\naware of their political, social, and economic rights and are able to pursue it\naccordingly. The presence of women at the grass roots will go a long way to\nhelp towards the political, social and economic stability of the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Localizing\nthe Implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nUnited Nations Security Council recognized that national implementation of\nUNSCR 1325 and related resolutions is an essential instrument for promoting the\nagenda for Women, Peace and Security. For this reason, the Presidential\nStatements of 2004\/40 and 2005\/52 called on Member States to adopt Resolution\n1325, including the creation of National Action Plans (NAPs) or other national\nstrategies. (NSRP, 2014).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigeria\nacknowledges the importance of Security Council Resolution 1325 in the\nimplementation of peacekeeping and peace-building mandates and in conflict\nprevention efforts to give greater attention to gender perspectives. In\nresponse to this mandate, the Nigerian government developed an Action Plan that\nwill contribute to the agenda for Women, Peace and Security. In this regard,\nthe Nigerian National Action Plan promotes and strengthens women’s\nparticipation and representation in all peacekeeping activities, peace\nnegotiations, peace-building and post-conflict activities, as well as in state\ndecision-making processes. The State Action Plan (SAP Resolution 1325) in eight states and two\nLocal Action Plans (LAPs) were also created to ensure state ownership and\ncontextualization to state conflict dynamics. (NSRP, 2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although much has been done since the start of the NAP\nin 2013, this has been primarily at the level of policy processes rather than\nimpact. There have been challenges that have hindered the implementation of the\nUNSCR 1325 in Nigeria. They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n