There is no doubt that war affects women and men differently. Whenever there has been a conflict, women and children have been known to receive the hard end of the stick. Women and children are often the most vulnerable and prone to being hit the hardest.

The social effect of conflicts is clearer following the psychological and physical abuse on women and children. A year after the abduction of schoolgirls in the Nigerian town of Chibok, a report has shown the impact of escalating violence on children in the region. UNICEF says fighting between Boko Haram, military forces and civilian self-defense groups in north-eastern Nigeria has forced around 800,000 children to flee their homes. Throughout history we see examples of terrible abuses against women and children. From the 1.1 million children killed during the Holocaust. To the many women and children raped or killed during the Rwandan Genocide and now Nigeria. This conflicts have created spillovers and created humanitarian and economic crisis for the continent and the word.

Women are seen as victims of conflict that need to be protected and kept safe rather than agents of change for peace. Because of such views and sentiments, the elimination of violence against women in conflict prone areas continues to pose challenges. Calls to stop Boko Haram emerged following public outcry and hopes for Nigeria after electing a new president.

Strides and efforts continue to be made to bring women to the forefront as agents of peace and positive political change. The UN Security Council recognizes women’s inclusion strengthens prospects of sustainable peace. In October 2000, the resolution 1325 was adopted which recognizes the role of women in strengthening their participation in decision-making, ending sexual violence and impunity and providing an accountability system.

UN Women also supports projects that focus on increasing women’s participation in decision-making, promoting the use of gender perspectives in policy development, strengthening the protection of women affected by conflict, countering conflict-related sexual violence, amplifying calls for accountability and advancing the status of women in post-conflict settings.However, more needs to be done to empower women. Women must begin to play a significant and major part in peace talks and post-conflict reconstruction and they should be empowered to be less of victims and onlookers and instead to take steps against gender violence.

In recent times, the nightmares of Nigeria is the violence perpertrated by militant Boko Haram.Founded in 2002, Boko Haram is an ultra-extremist Islamic cult focusing primarily on the edict that Western education is forbidden. Military operations were launched in 2009 to support their cause in creating an independent Islamic state. It also has roots that can be traced to the northern part of Cameroon and parts of Niger. The Boko Haram leadership has international connections to Al-Qaeda.

Economic Impact

Since Boko Haram emerged from the shadows about four years ago, once armed militarily, one of the first obvious economic concerns was the almost immediate drop in foreign direct investment (FDI), with the concern being whether the government had the wherewithal to deal with the serious insurrection and stave off the many decades of political instability the country has faced. According to the World Investment Report (WIR) 2013, FDI flows into Nigeria dropped by 21% in just one year — from $8.9 billion in 2011 to $7 billion in 2012. The loss of $1.9 billion for a country in desperate need of money – such as Nigeria – was a staggering blow.

The monumental decline in FDI over such a short period of time sent ripple effects throughout the international community, creating a negative domino effect. It’s a rock heading downhill that continues to gain momentum, and it will be up to Jonathan and his government not only to slow it down, but to stop it altogether, or it will begin all over again. FDI into Nigeria has a direct impact on trade, while also ensuring progression of economic development to the south. FDI inflow also supplements the available domestic capital by stimulating the productivity of domestic investments. Someone troublesome is the high codependency ratio between the inflow of FDI, the Nigerian oil sector, and the country’s GDP. A scientific study found that a unit increase in FDI into the Nigerian oil sector will increase the country’s GDP by approximately 16 units. This shows that the Nigerian oil and gas sector, which is the mainstay of the economy, has a high rate of exposure to foreign direct investment. Between the lack of jobs, and the increasing violence with the likes of terrorist groups such as Boko Harm, there has been a mass movement of Nigerian citizens looking to settle in areas not impacted by the violence. The trouble is this: the areas not affected by the violence are most often areas that have nothing in terms of sustainable economic activity that would allow a person or a family to survive. Living in the dangerous regions is where there’s hope for employment.

The rush to escape from the northern part of the country that has been hard hit is already affecting the profitability of businesses in the region. It’s no reached the point where accredited banks have begun closing down some branches due to a huge decrease of economic activity. On top of that, a number of employees at these businesses are demanding to be reassigned to areas that are less volatile.

As noted many times before, a lot of the current problems with terrorist uprisings can easily be pinpointed to a lack of government leadership due to the constant political insecurity, and especially so in the northern region.

Once the banks and other businesses decide to pack up and move elsewhere, it leaves the region in a state of economic depletion, and one that won’t easily be regained. It’s always quicker destroying something than it is building it up. The people of Nigeria are hoping President Buhari’s government takes drastic action to bring about more stability in the country and soon. Or, it will be a long road to recovery for a nation that can already ill afford this type of economic setback. More than $21 billion of foreign direct investment poured into Nigeria in 2013, up 28% from the year before. The country does not want to see that slide backwards due to political instability and the onset of widespread violence.