Focus on girls’ schooling from an early age is essential for building their resilience and financial independence.
Research has shown why women join violent extremist groups in Africa, but much less attention is given to those who leave or don’t enlist at all. What makes some women resist recruitment? And why do those who join sometimes disengage?
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has recently explored the circumstances that allowed women to reject or cut ties with Boko Haram in Niger’s Diffa region and Katiba Macina in Mali’s Mopti and Ségou regions. Understanding these factors is key to women’s safety. It will prevent their association with armed groups and reduce their exposure to extremist violence.
In Mali and Niger, women have mostly escaped recruitment by fleeing areas where the groups are active. Some end up in camps for internally displaced persons, while others…