Researching the impact of gender-based violence on men and boys in Nigeria

The impact of gender-based violence on men and boys in Nigeria is the focus of a new study at Aberystwyth University following the awarding of a prestigious fellowship.

Violent conflict has been raging in northeast Nigeria since 2009, with militant Islamist insurgent group, Boko Haram, accused of committing human rights abuses against civilians.

Dr Onyinyechukwu Durueke is an expert on peace and conflict studies, specialising in gender and security. 

Dr Durueke’s research project ‘FLEECOIN’ will research the strategies employed by civilian men and adolescent boys to escape the gender-based violence related to counterinsurgency against Boko Haram.

Through in-depth interviews with communities in Nigeria, she will particularly investigate flight as a coping mechanism – specifically vulnerable men and boys attempting to escape gender-based violence by fleeing to other parts of the country that are free from insurgency.

Speaking about her project, Dr Durueke said:

“The traumatic physical and mental impact of gender-based violence on women in Nigeria since the spate of Boko Haram insurgencies is well-documented. 

“To date, however, there is a lack of research into the impact of counterinsurgency (COIN) campaigns against Boko Haram on the civilian population, particularly men and boys.  The FLEECOIN project seeks to address this gap.”

Hosted by the Department of International Politics in Aberystwyth, Dr Durueke’s research is financed through the UK Guarantee funding for Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships.

During her two-year Fellowship, Dr Durueke will work under the mentorship of Berit Bliesemann de Guevara, Professor of International Politics at Aberystwyth University. 

Dr Onyinyechukwu Durueke

Dr Onyinyechukwu Durueke has a background in Peace and Conflict Studies with specialist focus on Gender, Peace and Security.  She received her PhD and MA in peace and conflict studies from the prestigious University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She also has an undergraduate degree in English and Literary Studies from the same University.

Prior to joining Aberystwyth University, she was a Norbert Elias Fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Bielefeld University and also a recipient of the Social Science Research Council’s African Peacebuilding Network Individual Research Grant where she applied an intersectional approach to understand women’s post-conflict coping mechanisms.  She is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Her teaching and research interests primarily lie in gender studies, security studies, and peace and conflict studies.

Durueke has published articles and book chapters. She is currently working on an article manuscript for a Journal of Strategic Studies special issue on reimagining counterinsurgency.