Why Are Women Victims or Perpetrators in Nigeria’s Boko Haram? Recruitment, Roles and Implications
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Date
2021
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Publisher
Journal of Contemporary African Studies
Abstract
This article explores the intersections of the factors influencing women as victims and perpetrators
in Northeast Nigeria’s Boko Haram. Studies on terrorism in Nigeria’s Northeast region reveal that
women are not only turned into victims but have emerged as active participants, who vent ‘terror’
on innocent people. However, missing in the studies is the intersection of the motivations driving
victimisation and perpetration of violence. The absence has had negative impacts on policymaking
and implementation aimed at combating terrorism. Therefore, relying on secondary data, this study
argues that the motivations for women’s recruitment as victims and perpetrators are not binary but
fluid in nature. The study concludes that there is a need for a deeper understanding of the fluidity to
activate policies that will bring such phenomenon to an end in a counter-terrorism framework