The month of March is known for International Women’s Month, recognizing the role of women in the world. We all know that women play a vital role in every aspect of life. In these modern times, they can keep up with men in terms of jobs or roles in society. They can also do extraordinary jobs and excel in all fields of work. One field of work that women continuously excelled was in peace and security. This is somehow connected to violent extremism and the role of women in this case.
In violent extremism, according to some studies, women are more vulnerable than men because they are the one who can detect the presence of extremism in their family or community. But this scenario thrust them to become peacekeepers and involve in preventing and countering violent extremism activities instead of supporting terrorism. According to UN Women website, the role of women in PCVE are multifaceted, these are: shaping community and family values; influencing decision making of potential recruits; identifying and intervening at early signs of radicalization that lead to terrorism; female imams preaching religious tolerance; women using different forms of media to promote counter narratives; and female police officers engaging with local communities to collect information. These roles are vital and were included in some research, that is why women’s roles are being considered now in crafting PCVE activities. More of these activities are being initiated by women and even the pattern program is being based on the capacity and impact of women in the community.
Gradually, the role of women in countering and preventing extremism are raising due to their effort of continuous involvement in peacekeeping, experienced in terrorism environment in which they belong, and their strong desire to be part of the community which they can contribute a positive change. Some examples of these are the research data about the impact of women in the peace process. According to Swedish scholar Desiree Nilsson, the participation of women in the peace process makes peace agreements 64% less likely to fail and more likely to last at least 15 years. It only means that the role of women in peacebuilding is crucial and serves as a breakthrough in terms of any conflict environment they are engaging in. That’s why the government and other peace panels are fronting women to conduct peace talks and peace agreements.
In the end, we can never underestimate the role of women in all aspects and in terms of peacebuilding. Like others, they can also do impossible tasks, promote peace, and continuously engage in PCVE activities, and bring positive change and impact to the society in which they belong.
