Gender Mainstreaming in Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria: North East in Focus

Abstract

Peace building is a bulwark against the occurrence of conflicts in the first place. It is the sine qua non for growth and development in any human habitat. Man is intrinsically hedonistic and hence, his unending search for a blissful environment that is free from threat and insecurity. It is against this background that states around the globe earnestly embark on peace building project. Every state owes its citizens a social responsibility to avert crisis and insecurity. This paper espouses women mainstreaming in the peace building project with focus on the North Eastern Nigeria. It observes that they are more vulnerable, compare to men, in situation of conflict as being widowed, internally displayed, sexually abused and more prone to HIV/AIDS. It avers that women are stakeholders in both conflict and post conflict situations as actors who disrupt and work toward peace and security.  Their roles are therefore put on the map. This paper utilizes ‘Feminist Peace and Conflict Theory’ as its analytical framework and heavily relies on secondary sources of data collection. It finds that turning a blind eye to the roles of women who constitute half of world population leaves much to be desired in the process of peace building and conflict resolution. Thus, it concludes that women know better how to handle gender (female) related issues as they bear on insecurity and peace. It recommends that the participation of women in peace building invigorates the possibility of a long-lasting peace.

Keywords: Conflict Resolution, Gender Mainstreaming, Peace Building, Victimizers, Victims etc.