International Federation of Women Lawyers and Dispute Management in Rivers State, 2014-2025

to the relationship between women's participation in FIDA and dispute management outcomes, and the challenges women face in performing this role, between 2014 and 2025. The evidence gathered from 400 respondents across three Local Government Areas, analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods, leads to a clear and well-supported conclusion: women's participation in FIDA is significantly and positively associated with effective dispute management in Rivers State, and women face substantial but surmountable challenges in performing their dispute management roles. The theoretical framework of Feminist Peace Theory proved highly applicable to the Rivers State context. The theory's central argument, that excluding women from peace and dispute management processes weakens outcomes while including them produces more inclusive, just, and durable results, was confirmed empirically across both objectives examined in this study. FIDA's work in Rivers State exemplifies what Feminist Peace Theory describes as transformative peacebuilding: it does not simply manage disputes case by case but challenges E-ISSN 2504-883X P-ISSN 2695 2432 the structural conditions that generate conflict, raises awareness of rights, and builds community capacities for self-mediated resolution. The conclusion that women's participation in FIDA contributes significantly to dispute management challenges the common perception that women are secondary or supplementary actors in conflict resolution, positioning women, and FIDA as an organisational vehicle for their expertise, as central and indispensable contributors to the peace and stability of Rivers State communities. At the same time, the challenges identified underscore that women's contributions are achieved against significant structural odds. Patriarchal norms, institutional resistance, funding constraints, and knowledge gaps conspire to limit the scope and depth of women's participation in dispute management, and these challenges cannot be wished away or managed through individual resilience alone; they require systematic intervention at the levels of policy, institutional design, community engagement, and resource allocation. Women's participation in FIDA is both valuable and effective, and the full potential of this contribution requires concerted action to dismantle the barriers that currently constrain it. X. Recommendations Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made: i. Government agencies and the Rivers State Government should increase financial and institutional support to FIDA, including sustained funding for legal aid, community sensitisation, and mediator training. The study found that inadequate funding significantly limits the effectiveness of women's dispute management interventions; government support would enable FIDA to expand its reach across all 23 Local Government Areas in Rivers State and sustain the follow-up activities needed to ensure that settlements are durable, and budget lines for women-led dispute management organisations should be mainstreamed within the state's justice and social development budget. ii. Civil society organisations, traditional institutions, and faith-based groups should collaborate with FIDA on sustained community engagement aimed at dismantling the patriarchal norms and resistance from male leaders identified as the most significant challenges women face. This requires sustained dialogue with traditional rulers and community elders to challenge the assumption that conflict resolution is a male prerogative, and successful examples of women-led dispute management, including those documented in Rumuekpe and Elelenwo, should be publicised as models of best practice. iii. FIDA and partner organisations should scale up legal literacy and awareness campaigns targeting women across Rivers State, particularly in rural and semi-urban communities where legal awareness remains low, since even where dispute mechanisms exist, women may not access or benefit from them without this knowledge. Campaigns should be delivered in local languages through community radio, market outreach, and women's association meetings, covering inheritance rights, property rights, and domestic violence law. iv. The Rivers State Government and the National Assembly should enact and enforce legislation that formally recognises women's roles in dispute management and provides institutional mechanisms for their inclusion in community, LGA-level, and state-level conflict resolution bodies. Women's participation in FIDA remains largely informal and dependent on individual willingness rather than legal mandate; formal legislation, complemented by policies requiring gender-inclusive composition of dispute resolution committees and protections for women mediators against intimidation, would institutionalise their roles and protect participation from cultural resistance. E-ISSN 2504-883X P-ISSN 2695 2432 References Abimbola, M. L., & Adewoyin, I. B. (2025). Challenges of land reforms and application of alternative dispute resolution on resource-based conflicts management in South West Nigeria. Journal of Humanities and Social Science. Aboyeji, A. J. (2019). 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