Security Sector Reform in an Era of Terrorism and Violent Extremism

Women’s Rights and prevention of violent extremism in the Sahel

Towards a Solution

Through the implementation of this UN Women-led project, it was possible to ascertain the level of application of relevant human rights and gender equality laws and frameworks in security responses in the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger). The project produced country studies regarding above-mentioned gender equality and human rights compliance of security sector institutions within the G5 Sahel countries, which revealed a variety of perceptions from different actors, including government, civil society organizations, human rights and gender advocates involved in the prevention and the fight against violent extremism conducive to terrorism and terrorism. The studies also revealed the specific challenges faced in each country and context and made recommendations to the government, including security sector institutions, national bodies for counter-terrorism, as well as national human rights commissions, among others, to overcome these challenges. Feedback Workshops were organized in the 5 countries of the G5 Sahel and at the regional level, where 107 key actors convened from the different countries (51 women and 56 men) to review and validate the data collected for the studies from government, civil society organizations, human rights and gender actors involved in the prevention and fight against violent extremism and terrorism.