Suicide squad
Boko Haram’s use of the female suicide bomber
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20393776 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vesna Markovic (Justice, Law and Public Safety Studies, Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 4-5 |
| Pages | 283-302 |
| Publication date | 2019-09-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Women & Criminal Justice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0897-4454 • E-ISSN: 1541-0323 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08974454.2019.1629153 |
| OpenAlex | W2961438155 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 10 |
Boko Haram first began using the tactic of suicide bombings in 2011 and in 2014 started using female suicide bombers. This research focuses on gender differences in the use of suicide bombers. The data were collected using open sources from June 16, 2011 to June 15, 2018. Using this longitudinal data, trends are described over that 7-year period, focusing on the use of females. A majority of the suicide bombings target civilians in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. More than half of the bombers were women and girls, some as young as 7 years old, and there were more than 60 incidents where the bomber was below the age of 15. More female bombers were used to targets civilians, whereas men were used more often to target government, police, and military targets. Female suicide bombers were used in Cameroon, whereas males were used more often in Nigeria. Additionally, females used suicide belts or vests, whereas men carried out the overwhelming majority of vehicle-borne suicide bombings. In many cases, the use of the women as bombers involved coercion. The unprecedented use of female suicide bombers, particularly young girls, should be a focus of policy moving forward
Boko haram · Criminology · Environmental health · Insurgency · Poison control · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Suicide methods · Suicide prevention · Suicide rates · Demography · Health and Conflict Studies · Law · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
When Are Female Suicide Bombings More Likely? The Case of Boko Haram
The Veil of Gender
Feminisation of Extremism as a Socio-Psychological Phenomenon
Women without a tactical advantage
Women Suicide Terrorism
Gender and the Strategic and Tactical Logic of Boko Haram’s Suicide Bombers
The objectified female body and the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria
The state, Boko Haram and vernacular security
Challenges of Countering Terrorist Recruitment in the Lake Chad Region
| Citations per year | 1.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2025 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |