The Role of Women Peace Circles in Mitigating Inter-Communal Violence in Kaduna State

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 1, No. 8, August 2010 | pp. 125–133

DOI: 10.46882/2010/GJPCS/000015

Research Article

The Role of Women Peace Circles in Mitigating Inter-Communal Violence in Kaduna State

Blessing O. Adebayo¹

¹Department of Sociology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract: Grassroots peace initiatives led by women are frequently sidelined in conventional state-centric security discussions. This study investigates the operational impacts of local Women Peace Circles (WPCs) in preventing ethnoreligious clashes within ethnically fragmented areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Operating through a participatory action framework, empirical data were gathered from 400 community residents and 25 targeted focus groups across four local government areas. Descriptive and inferential statistics demonstrated that communities with active WPC early-warning networks experienced a 45% lower incidence of youth-led mobilization during national political crises compared to unmonitored zones (p < 0.01). Qualitative narratives revealed that women utilize informal market channels to gather security intelligence and defuse rumors before violence escalates. However, the data highlights that a lack of institutional financing and persistent patriarchal barriers limit WPC integration into state security architectures (mean structural barrier score of 4.4 ± 0.5 on a 5-point scale). The study underscores the strategic value of funding women-led informal security networks to build sustainable local peace.

Keywords: women peace circles, inter-communal violence, Kaduna State, early-warning networks, grassroots security, conflict mitigation

Manuscript Timeline: Received April 20, 2010; Revised June 11, 2010; Accepted July 02, 2010; Published August 14, 2010.

Citation: Adebayo, B. O. (2010). The Role of Women Peace Circles in Mitigating Inter-Communal Violence in Kaduna State. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 1(8), 125–133. DOI: 10.46882/2010/GJPCS/000015

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