Most of us if not all have come across the Swahili proverb ‘Asiyefunzwa na mamaye hufunzwa na ulimwengu’ meaning one who is not taught by one's mother, will be taught by the world. A mother’s influence in a child’s life is incomparable and may determine a lot in a child’s character and social aspect as they grow up. The destiny of any individual solely relies on upbringing.
Women are the vessels that bring forth life and it is through them that a child’s psychology first feels equal as a human being of intelligence and self-worth. Women are often defined by what they give others rather than the worth in their rights as individuals, often as good wives, mothers, and daughters. Since time immemorial, women have been known to play the role of building family units and beyond that, the nexus of the community hence the need to inculcate them in the fight against violent extremism.
It is a God-given ability that mothers are key pillars that nourish and raise homes hence this makes them key players in curbing radicalization and violent extremism. The fact that they are always close to the young ones as they grow creates a friendly atmosphere for children and young adults to interact and open up to their mothers on personal issues affecting them daily, therefore, making it easier for mothers to educate them easily on different life matters among them being radicalization through a language they understand. Furthermore, the ability of mothers to win the trust and learn a child’s character through observation makes them good intelligence agents that ease nurturing and information passing from mother to child.
Women should take every opportunity to educate the youth on the consequences of joining militant groups and indulging in violent extremism.
In the current age where many young people due to one reason or the other have been lured into dangerous activities such as drug abuse, crime, and radicalized terror groups, women ought to be at the center stage in preventing our youth from the road to destruction.
Women should take every opportunity to educate the youth on the consequences of joining militant groups and indulging in violent extremism. Children will listen to the mother more than the father because the latter is perceived as authoritative rather than persuasive. Let us encourage our women to be champion campaigners against terrorism and this will see the reduction in the number of youths recruited into extremist groups.
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