Hundreds of girls and women freed from Boko Haram insurgents are facing stigmatisation and contempt from their family members and communities in Borno State, a United
Nations report has revealed.

The report, entitled, “Bad Blood”, focused on the perceptions of children and women exposed to sexual violence and Boko Haram attacks in northeast Nigeria.

The United Nations Children Fund, International Alert, as well as other non-governmental groups released the report on Wednesday.

More than 200 female pupils of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, were kidnapped in 2014 in their dormitory.

The report, which noted that some of the rescued girls and women were either pregnant or had children for Boko Haram members, added that they faced stigmatisation.

“As they return, many face maginalisation, discrimination and rejection by family and community members due to social and cultural norms related to sexual violence. There is also the growing fear that some of these girls and women were radicalised in captivity. The children, who have been born of sexual violence, are at an even greater risk of rejection, abandonment and violence.”

The report added that their husband had divorced many of the women survivors.

It declared, “Victims’ husbands and fathers whose views and feelings carry more weight in highly patriarchal societies such as the one in Borno – also have mixed feelings about
their wives and daughters. These feelings range from complete rejection and fear to acceptance. Some husbands are not willing to take their wives back and have divorced their wives on their return. However, other husbands have accepted their wives back into their lives. These views are
shaped by perceptions on whether women and girls left willingly or if they were abducted.”

Among other interventions, the researchers advised that the Federal Government to scale up psychological counselling for survivors.

“The number of those in need and type of trauma suffered outstrip the services available, as admitted by government representatives. Also, given the fact that only small number
of survivals have begun to return from captivity, compared with those who are still missing, it is likely that the available services will become even more overwhelmed by the returning population’s needs.”


www.punchng.com/liberated-girls-in-borno-rejected-by-families-communities/

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