Abuja - A rights group has accused Nigerian
government officials and other authorities of
raping and sexually abusing women and girls
displaced by Boko Haram militants.


The Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed that
in July 2016, it documented the abuse and
exploitation of 43 women and girls living in
camps for internally displaced people (IDPs)
across the northeastern city of Maiduguri in
Nigeria's restive Borno State.


The victims displaced from various cities, had
their movement restricted in some cases after
having spent months in military screening
camps, the group said.


HRW claimed that the Nigerian government was
not doing enough to protect the victims and to
ensure that they had access to basic rights and
services.


"It is bad enough that these women and girls
are not getting much-needed support for the
horrific trauma they suffered at the hands of
Boko Haram," said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria
researcher at HRW.


While four of the victims interviewed reported
that they had been drugged and raped, a further
37 claimed to have been coerced into sex
through promises of marriage and financial
assistance. Many of the women reported having
been abandoned after they fell pregnant, with
their children suffering discrimination and abuse
at the hands of other residents in the camp.



A situational assessment conducted by Nigerian
research organisation NOI Polls further revealed
that 66% of 400 displaced people living in
Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states had reported
sexual abuse from officials within the camps.


Irregular supplies of food, medical aid and
clothing had led to the exploitation of some of
the most vulnerable individuals living in the
camps, with men using their positions of
authority and privilege to have sex with women
who sometimes only receive one meal a day.
The report said that victims of rape and sexual
abuse were less likely to seek healthcare, with
fewer than five of the 43 women interviewed
reporting that they sought formal counselling
following their harrowing ordeals. In addition, a
medical health worker reported a rise in the
number of people requiring HIV treatment, from
about 200 cases in 2014 to more than 500 in
July 2016.


Aid workers warned since early 2016 that
women were being coerced into exchanging sex
for basic necessities, with members of the
security forces, along with other elements
subjecting them to gross gender-based violence.
Following his visit to Maiduguri in August 2016,
United Nations special rapporteur on the human
rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka
Beyani, said that the Nigerian government had
"a tendency to downplay the problem of sexual
violence and abuse" of internally displaced
people.


HRW said it had since approached authorities
regarding the finding of its report.
"Failure to respond to these widely reported
abuses amounts to severe negligence or worse
by Nigerian authorities. Authorities should
provide adequate aid in the camps, ensure
freedom of movement for all displaced people,
safe and confidential health care for survivors,
and punish the abusers," Segun said.


http://m.news24.com/news24/Africa/News/nigeria-officials-abusing-women-girls-displaced-by-boko-haram-hrw-20161031

Too bad,this persistent news of sexual abuse in IDP camps should be curtailed asap with under checks to further punish those found culpable of such unholy act, its just a pity FG at the moment aren't ready to ameliorate the plights of indisplaced persons in varous camps.

Konji ajoka!

most of the ladies in the idp camp look old and dirty,how person preek go dey stand seeing those kin girls
i dont believe this nonsense

Omololu007:
most of the ladies in the idp camp look old and dirty,how person preek go dey stand seeing those kin girls
i dont believe this nonsense

that means you are not familiar with law of KONJI. it does not know the old, young, dirty, neat or even gender. imagine someone using cucumber