Pulse.ng : NGO sensitises women on conflict prevention, peace building in society

By Stella

A Non Governmental Organization, CLEEN Foundation, has sensitied women on conflict prevention and peace building in the society.

Dr Salaudeen Hashim, the Programme Director of the foundation, said the event was aimed at strengthening partnerships among states such as Plateau, Benue, Adamawa, Kaduna, and Gombe, and establishing a platform for regular communication and collaboration among women mediators.

Hashim who is also a renowned Criminal Justice, Conflict and Security Expert, gave an analysis on the impact of body language.

He explained that body language is an integral part of mediation which mediators should be sensitive to, in the cause of conflict resolution with victims.

He noted that the meeting was aimed at promoting womens' rights and ensuring ways in bridging their underrepresentation in leadership positions.

According to him, the objective was to attain a more peaceful gender-equal society.

This he said, would be achieved by creating an enabling environment for the implementation of women's participation, service, and commitment through strengthened policies and frameworks, capacity coordination, and oversight.

He encouraged the participants to assume leadership roles, be assertive, and excel in every opportunity that comes their way.

Hashim equally said that the objective of the meeting was to explore the various approaches and strategies employed by Women's Mediation Platforms in Kaduna and find inspiration from Bauchi, Plateau and Benue states.

"This meeting is to share best practices, challenges, and lessons learned in promoting women's participation in peacebuilding initiatives in Kaduna state with support from the secondary state conversation.

"It is also aimed at strengthen collaboration and foster partnerships between our organizations for future peacebuilding efforts between the current and secondary mediation platforms.

"The meeting is to provide a platform for networking and exchange of ideas among practitioners and stakeholders in the field of conflict resolution,"Hashim said.

In a remark, Barr. Rebecca Sako-John, the Commissioner of the Kaduna State Peace Commission, said the state has already started including women in decision making as the state has a lot of women in different positions.

She noted that the state deputy governor is a woman who is up and doing in the discharge of her duties.

She added that women are members of state executive council as well as the traditional council.

Highlights of the event included group discussions with critical analysis on the Agatu Herders and Farmers crisis in Benue State and solutions, among others.

Also, the representatives of the National Women Mediators Network from Abuja and Kaduna, Magdaline and Elizabeth, highlighted points related to the role of women mediators and their achievements.

They emphasized the significance of women's participation in mediation processes and peacebuilding efforts.

The duo stressed the importance of creating a platform for regular communication, networking, and collaboration among women mediators at both the state and national levels.

They added that the importance of women's participation in mediation and peacebuilding efforts was critical to societal development.

They shared success stories, including increased awareness of women's role in peacebuilding, a rise in the number of women mediators in selected areas, acceptance by traditional leaders, media presence, and recognition of women in various positions within traditional, governmental sectors.

NAN reports that the memeeting also featured an overview of the remarkable achievements of Plateau state women mediators.

These achievements include the establishment of women mediation desks across 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs), engagement with security stakeholders, advocacy workshops and visits, ICT training for women, significant media coverage, and successful mapping of women mediators in the state.

During the meeting, it was noted that there is a need for greater representation of young people and the inclusion of Persons With Disabilities in the groups to ensure diverse and inclusive participation.

Overall, the meeting underscored the importance of women's participation in mediation, highlighted the achievements of women mediators in different states, and demonstrated the increasing recognition of their contributions to peacebuilding efforts.(NAN)