It
was the hashtag that turned the spotlight on the crisis of Nigerian girls and
women being abducted by Boko Haram: #BringBackOurGirls.
But now that government and humanitarian efforts are resulting in some women
being rescued from the Islamic militant group and returned to their homes, it
seems not all Nigerians are welcoming them with open arms.
According
to a joint report released Tuesday by UNICEF
and human rights group International Alert, many women and teen girls who were
once held by Boko Haram are being rejected by their families and communities.
People treat the former captives with mistrust over fears the
women have become radicalized supporters of the extremists. But the
suspicious behavior of family members tends to become explicit persecution if
the former captives bore children after being sexually assaulted by members of
Boko Haram.
The
babies may be innocent, but they are seen by locals as being infected with “bad
blood” from their rapist Boko Haram fathers, according to the report. “There is
a belief that, like their fathers, the children will inevitably do what hyenas
do and ‘eat’ the innocent dogs around them,” wrote the report’s authors.
Rejected
by their families and neighbors, many of the women and their children are being
pushed into poverty. To avoid homelessness and to provide for their babies,
some are turning to prostitution to earn money. As a result, the children
themselves are “at risk of rejection, abandonment, discrimination, and
potential violence,” wrote the report’s authors.
“These
findings show a pressing need to do more to reintegrate those returning from
captivity by Boko Haram,” Kimairis Toogood, International Alert’s
peace-building adviser in Nigeria, said in a statement. “Many of these girls
already face lasting trauma of sexual violence and being separated from their
families, so we must ensure they get all the support they need when they
finally return.”
Approximately
2,000 women and girls have been abducted since 2012, but international
awareness was only raised in late April 2014 after Boko Haram snatched nearly
300 girls from a school in the town of Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria. The
hashtag stems from the Bring Back Our Girls movement, which was created that
spring at a rally by Obiageli Ezekwesili, the former Federal Minister of
Education of Nigeria.
Nigerians
subsequently shared the hashtag on social media, and it was picked up around
the world—including by celebs such as Rihanna, first lady Michelle Obama, and
girls education activist Malala Yousafzai. Yousafzai went to Nigeria in July
2014 and demanded that the nation’s president Goodluck Jonathan mobilize the
government and take action. Despite the success of the hashtag
campaign in raising awareness, those nearly 300 abducted schoolgirls still
haven’t been returned home.
As
for those girls and women who have been rescued, only to face a hostile
homecoming, International Alert and UNICEF said more humanitarian assistance
for them is needed. “There is a fear that if the needs of these survivors
and returning populations are not met, these factors could add another
dimension to an already complex conflict situation in northeast Nigeria,” said
Toogood.
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