The book offers a pioneering and deeply insightful examination of one of the most challenging dilemmas in contemporary counterterrorism and international law: how to legally and morally assess the responsibility of female suicide bombers affiliated with terrorist groups such as Boko Haram.
It exposes a critical legal blind spot where female bombers are caught in a “grey zone” - neither fully prosecuted nor released - due to conflicting norms around gender, victimhood, and terrorism.
Drawing on extensive research including interviews, case studies of failed suicide bombers, and legal analysis of terrorism cases, it develops a novel culpability framework that moves beyond simplistic notions of guilt or innocence.
By exploring the complex spectrum of moral and legal responsibility, this framework offers a much-needed tool for policymakers, judges, practitioners, academics and students dealing with terrorism, war crimes, and transitional justice. It challenges prevailing gender stereotypes that often either criminalise women excessively or excuse them arbitrarily and instead provides a nuanced approach that recognises female bombers as individuals whose actions range from coerced victimhood to accountable perpetrators.
More than a legal study, this book humanises the lived realities of women involved in violent extremism and highlights the urgent need for legal systems worldwide to adapt. It is essential reading for scholars, legal professionals, policymakers, and anyone interested in terrorism, gender, human rights, and international justice.
