Mechanisms of women’s participation in confronting terrorist organizations

Shaima Hafezy

The role of women in areas controlled by ISIS is not limited to serving the fighters or having children only, but through their ability to confront these organizations in countries hit by terrorism.

Exiled terrorists from Iraq, Syria and the borders of Asia are threatening Africa at a time when the continent’s citizens are suffering from the terror of extremist groups such as Somali’s Shabaab movement, Boko Haram and an ISIS branch in Libya. An effective role for confronting terrorism in Africa must be sought.

Anti-terrorism experts have said that as threats of terrorism grow, there is a need to involve women in the fight against these evils, especially in Africa.

Discussions on leveraging partnerships and enhancing cooperation with women to counter and prevent violent extremism and terrorism in Africa have been heavily discussed in recent years until the United Nations organized a conference of heads of anti-terrorist agencies this year in addition to a conference of the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the United Nations Office for Women and the United Nations Office for West Africa, in cooperation with the permanent missions of Japan and Germany to the United Nations.

The researchers concluded that for African women to have an active role in countering terrorism, they need sustained international support and partnerships, as well we cooperation between officials in African governments, civil society, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and regional bodies in Africa.

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Africa Bience Gawanas said that although both civilians and security forces are affected by terrorism and extremism, women and girls are subjected to specific forms of gender-based violence.

The increase in rape and other forms of sexual violence and abduction from schools as a tactic of systematic terrorist attacks on the civilian population was evidence that terrorism targeted and affected women and men in different ways.

Terrorism destroys lives, human dignity, livelihoods and property; destabilizes governments; weakens the social fabric of societies; causes forced displacement; damages the environment and social and economic development; and poses a serious threat to international peace.

To address terrorism, Gawanas stressed the need to ensure that women’s active participation, empowerment and leadership are at the heart of all efforts on all levels.

“Women and girls are not only victims of terrorist acts and extremism. They also play diverse roles in support or as part of terrorist and extremist groups, just as they also contribute to actions and strategies to combat and prevent terrorism and violent extremism in their societies, countries and around the world,” Gawanas said.

Al-Khansaa: Women ISIS terrorists

The Al-Khansaa Brigade, founded by a Syrian organization in 2014, is proof of the dangerous role women are playing in spreading and supporting extremism, including as fighters carrying arms alongside male fighters, led by Umm al-Miqdad, known as the Emira of ISIS, who is responsible for recruiting girls and women in Iraq’s Anbar province.

In this battalion, women were also trained to use weapons such as grenades and Kalashnikovs.

Women’s participation in countering extremism

After ISIS lost control of the land it controlled in Syria and Iraq, and amid warnings that the organization could be re-establish in its main stronghold or through one of its branches, especially in Africa, the United Nations is implementing a plan of action to prevent violent extremism.

Governments are being urged to take into account the critical issues African women want to take into account in implementing all policies and initiatives to combat and prevent terrorism and violent extremism. Women want to be consulted and involved in analyzing the root causes of violent extremism and want to be represented in mechanisms and structures to combat terrorism, including in the national security services.

Lazarus Amayo, Kenya’s permanent representative to the United Nations and chairman of the African Group, said in July 2018, “African countries will continue to ensure that national and regional policies and strategies are informed by women’s experiences.”

The African Union Police Cooperation Mechanism, the Sahel Group, the African Center for Studies and Research on Terrorism, and the Joint Multinational Task Force against Boko Haram, as well as the international community, would all support the continental efforts to prevent and respond to terrorism.

“The acts of terrorism impede achieving the goals of sustainable development,” Amayo said, stressing the importance of involving women and partnering with them in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Meanwhile, Japan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Koro Bessho, said that terrorism is often the result of social exclusion and the lack of opportunities and basic services.

He pointed out that “the root causes of terrorism cannot be addressed by men only” and called for the mobilization and empowerment of women so that they can play an important role in building peace in their societies.

A representative of Germany’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations described the African Women’s Leadership Network as a forum for strengthening women’s leadership as an example of a group working to address the root causes of terrorism.

He stressed the need for Africa to look for local solutions to local problems and to create better networks of stakeholders that countries could use to share best practices in countering terrorism and extremism.

Counterterrorism experts call for addressing the reasons why people are “extremists” by disseminating programs to teach societies about combating terrorism and extremism by eliminating their causes, in addition to the participation of civil society. Counterterrorism requires not only the intervention of heads of state – there is a need for women.

“Terrorism is spreading chaos in the Sahel region, with concerted efforts to focus on the region,” said Justine Kim, president of the 5th Sahel Coast Women Forum. “Women need to be given an opportunity to help end terrorism.”

“Women first see what is not good in the family and society, and they can contribute to economic development that in turn keeps men involved in helping their families,” Kim said.

She added that women in the Sahel face poverty, having neither money nor land to grow. “Our governments and our international partners must do more. They sometimes spend money on the wrong priorities. They need to spend money on places that can have a good impact.”