An advocacy group, Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has called for the inclusion of peace-building learning in the curriculum, as part of efforts to mitigate conflicts before they escalate into violence.

Noting that conflicts were inevitable among humans, the group added that only mismanaged conflicts escalate to violence.

Speaking during a media parley in Port Harcourt, the Programme Manager, David Udofia, pleaded with the government and other stakeholders to include peace-building education in the school curriculum.

Udofia said: “We are talking to the government to have an understanding that there is a need to invest in peace education, we are working towards reviewing the curriculum to include peace- building education at all levels.

“It is the inability to resolve conflicts that results in violence. So, peace-building, which is what we do most in PIND, preventing conflicts from escalating because we have the understanding that conflict is inevitable, is an integral part of human existence.”

The Advocacy Manager, Chuks Ofulue, stressed the need for government to end illegal levies and multiple taxation on small scale businesses, saying it could force them to either close, or go underground.

On her part, PIND’s Manager, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Yemi Omire, said women and persons living with disabilities were currently being empowered to escape rape and gender-based violence in the Niger Delta.

She said: “Our focus this year is on building the capacity of women and people living with disabilities to be self-sufficient and employable. The reason is that in PIND, we invest to prevent violence against women and girls.”