What is it about?
This paper talks about what was an under-reported aspect of Boko Haram's tactics at the time - the abduction of women. It discusses the targeting of 'Boko Haram wives' by the security forces, and the tit for tat cycle of violence that appears to have emerged from that, as Boko Haram's leader then deliberately ordered the abduction of women.
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Why is it important?
The article was published 2 months or so before the Chibok abductions, and hopefully contributes to better understanding the conditions that led to those kidnappings. It points to the importance of considering gender in the ideology of groups and how they target - or don't target - certain populations.
Perspectives
This paper was written with Jake Zenn, whose analysis focuses on patterns in the activities of Boko Haram. After co-writing this, we followed the continuing abductions for the first months of 2014. On April 14/5 we read about Chibok, and were horrified at the scale of these abductions. Yet we weren't surprised. So many other girls had been taken. We hope that that global audience that responded to Chibok will continue to care about the fate of those girls. We also hope people will not forget all the other women who need support after being taken by Boko Haram fighters and then released, and of course the many men who have been victimised by the group, forcibly recruited, or killed. The violence goes on.
Ms Elizabeth G Pearson
King's College London
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Women, Gender and the evolving tactics of Boko Haram, Journal of Terrorism Research, February 2014, University of St. Andrews Library,
DOI: 10.15664/jtr.828.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
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