Roles of Women and Young People in Initiating Culture of Peace-Building in Kenya
Abstract
Peace is considered to be an important part of any society as self-determination is not possible without peace. Where conflict arises, it is often grounded in social, structural, cultural, political and economic factors, and depreciation in one increases chances of conflict in a particular society. women and young people can be important drivers and agents of change in the development of their societies; this may be because they demonstrate openness to change, feedback and learning; tend to be more future-oriented; more idealistic and innovative; and more willing to take risks. Recent developments bring home the lesson that to achieve sustainable peace we must all work together in an integrated and coherent way, otherwise the drums of war will drown the music of peace. The role and contributions of women and youth to the Culture of Peace is not only important because women and young people represent the majority of the global population there are 600 million adolescent girls in the developing world and the global population is experiencing a youth bulge. In some parts of Northern Kenya especially among the pastoralist communities, women and youth have been considered agents of both conflicts and peace. This study therefore set out to determine the roles played by women and young people in initiating culture of peace-building in Kenya. The study was a literature based in which literature relevant to the topic were reviewed for the purposes of obtaining study themes. The study found that the youth in Kenya are playing a key role in peace building in a number of ways; school going children are actively involved in peace building through their activities which are meant to, among others, building relationships and reconciliation. These activities range from youth choirs, sports, welfare groupings, and reconstruction and peace think tanks. The study also found that as agents or actors, women have played significant roles in terms of being mothers, educators, mediators, peace activists and community leaders, coping and surviving actors, breadwinners and decision makers. The study therefore concluded that women and young people are a powerful force and an engine that should be tapped for eradicating violence, building democratic and participatory public institutions, particularly during and soon after the post-conflict peace settlement period. The study this recommended that going forward, it would be necessary the local organizations to increase the complexity of pushing for inclusion of more women and young people in peace processes.
Keywords: Role, Women, Young people, Culture, Peace, Peace-building, Kenya.
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