Conflicts in Nigeria pushing more women into poverty, says report — Business — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

The persistent sit-at-home order in the south-east, coupled with growing internally displaced persons (IDPs), is pushing more women into poverty and making access to markets increasingly impossible.

Dr Richard Gokum of the Department of Theology, Veritas University, stated this while speaking at a roundtable to review three research studies supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation West Africa at the university’s Centre for Peace and Development.

Speaking on ‘The Impact of Farmers-Herders Crisis on the Quality of Life of Women and Girls in Internally Displaced Camps in North Central Nigeria,’ Dr Gokum argued that women often bear the brunt of vulnerability, shouldering the responsibilities of caregiving while navigating an economically strained environment during conflicts.

He explained: “The compounded pressures of limited healthcare access, economic hardships, and environmental challenges create a feedback loop of vulnerability, reinforcing the challenges of survival in these contexts. The socioeconomic impact on displaced women is particularly gendered, with women and girls disproportionately shouldering the economic burdens of displacement. They often find themselves in survival situations where they have to care for dependents, all while facing limited access to education and employment opportunities. This socioeconomic fragility exacerbates their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.”

He noted that the study ‘The Impact of Farmers-Herders Crisis on the Quality of Life of Women and Girls in Internally Displaced Camps in North Central Nigeria’ offers a crucial contribution to the understanding of the complex interplay between conflict, displacement, and gender in Nigeria.

The varsity don argued that increasing displacement caused by conflict has exposed women and girls in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps to severe risks and mental health challenges.

“The context of IDP camps, especially in regions like North Central Nigeria, underscores the heightened vulnerabilities faced by displaced women and girls. The intersection of inadequate security, resource scarcity, and the erosion of social norms exacerbates the risks of GBV and contributes to long-term psychological suffering, including depression and anxiety,” he stated.

On his part, Dr Chinaemelum Okafor of the Department of History and International Relations of the university, who reviewed ‘Effects of Bwari Conflict and Enugu Sit-at-Home on Women’ written by Dr Ikechukwu Ukandu and Dr. Nneamaka Obodo, said women, especially those engaged in the market trading and small businesses, face immense economic losses during conflicts, as markets close and supply chains are disrupted, adding, “Women’s roles as caregivers and homemakers are further strained in times of conflict, as resources like food and shelter become scarce.”

She stressed that two studies identify both commonalities and differences in their impact on women.

“The study emphasizes how conflict directly undermines women’s economic empowerment. Market closures, restrictions on movement, and violence severely limit women’s ability to earn a livelihood, exacerbating pre-existing gender inequalities. The enforced Sit-at-Home protests disrupt daily economic activities, further marginalizing women who depend on daily earnings to sustain their households. The focus on economic empowerment makes a strong case for integrating women’s economic needs into post-conflict recovery strategies,” she stated.

In their book, ‘Effects of Bwari conflict and Enugu sit-at-home on women’, Dr Ikechukwu Ugandu and Dr Nneamaka Obodo noted that economically, the burning of shops, properties, and loss of livelihood brought about economic hardship and raised the case of feminization of poverty as a result of conflicts that had on the women who were at the centre of the economic life of the community.

They further stated that the lack of support for women heightened the effect on the inhabitants of affected communities.

“Family life was greatly impacted at the level of children and parents. Children discontinued schooling though for a short time and joined their parents to flee the affected community. In the case of Enugu, the social impact cut across all sectors and social groups. The effect was witnessed in education, banking, business, civil service, church, and so on. Restriction of movement prevented people, especially women, from going to earn income to cater for their families,” they said.

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