A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Global Rights, in partnership with Kukah Centre, Kaduna, has called for women inclusion in peace building efforts against violent extremism in Kaduna State.
The programme manager, Global Rights, Mr Edosa Oviawe, who made the call during the weekend at a one-day event tagged: “Godiya Stage Play” in Kaduna said, “NGOs are seeking lasting peace in the North West region through women inclusion in peace building to build community resilience against violent extremism and attacks.”
The call, according to him, was to give women voice so that they can also have inputs relating to issues that affect them, noting that women and children are more prone to violent attack and other abuses in the society.
Edosa expressed dismay over banditry activities, communal clashes, struggle for resources, and other factors that have changed the narratives of peaceful society, adding that the region have become a hot bed of crisis in recent times.
“We have thought of how can we walk together and help the people to begin to reverse this trend and that is what gave idea to the whole project that we have initiated, to mobilise and build community resilience against violent extremism.
“But in all of these we have equally acknowledged the peace building efforts going on in the region and we have seen the gaps which is the level of women inclusion in this peace driven efforts and we realised that if we are able to promote more inclusion of women in this peace building efforts, we will get a better result,” he said.
The permanent commissioner, Kaduna State Peace Commission, Rebecca John Sako, said women have a very big role to play in nation building because they are citizens of the community and so they have voice, opinion and views which can help to resolve conflict and even prevent conflicts.
“Women are also affected in so many ways as women, wives, mothers, daughters and sisters, and as people who know others, they play a very big role after conflict because where there is violence they lose their loved ones, their caregivers and become the breadwinner or the head of households prematurely and still be the one to build the society back to where it ought to be.
“So, they need to be there on the table at the dialogue session so that they can bring in those views which are very useful in resolving the conflict, also in trying to understand the dynamics of the conflict,” she said.
