Opinion

Letter To President Tinubu on the fate of girls survivors of Boko Haram and military abuse in north-eastern Nigeria

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Yusuf Muhammad Kawu

<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"jBhlxhwh" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Yusuf Muhammad Kawu<&sol;p><div class&equals;"bjznlPoL" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Dear President Tinubu&comma;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I am writing to you regarding the future of the girls and young women who suffered horrific abuses in Boko Haram captivity in north-east Nigeria&period; After they left Boko Haram&comma; many endured further suffering in unlawful military detention&period; Survivors are now left without adequate access to services&period; Mr&period; President&comma; I urge you and your government to take immediate and effective steps to empower these girls and young women by ensuring their access to medical care&comma; education&comma; and livelihood support&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Whilst everyone in north-east Nigeria has been affected by the conflict&comma; girls who became associated with Boko Haram&comma; overwhelmingly through abductions and forced marriages at young ages&comma; have experiences and needs unique to their age and gender&period; Many&comma; if not all&comma; suffer long-lasting consequences including health complications&comma; lack access to education&comma; and experience stigma and rejection from their families and communities&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"dAtxGZ09" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Boko Haram used these girls as &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;wives”&comma; forcibly marrying them&comma; some multiple times&comma; and subjecting them to years of domestic servitude and sexual violence including forced pregnancy&period; Boko Haram indoctrinated girls and young women into the group’s ideology and forced them to live under strict rules&comma; severely limiting their right to freedom of movement and prohibiting them from leaving the group for fear for their lives&period; Boko Haram has also forced girls and young women to watch punishments&comma; including beheadings&comma; floggings and limb amputations&period; Some girls were forcibly converted&period; Many of the crimes documented by Amnesty International constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Many girls and young women who subsequently escaped Boko Haram returned to government-controlled areas with specific needs&period; Most survivors interviewed by Amnesty International have been denied access to justice&comma; education&comma; livelihood opportunities including vocational training&comma; and adequate health services including mental health services and sexual and reproductive health care&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Despite some family reunification efforts&comma; the Nigerian government has not taken effective measures to uphold their international human rights obligations to reintegrate these girls and young women&period; Furthermore&comma; instead of meeting their unique needs&comma; many have been unlawfully detained in military custody in various detention facilities across Borno and Adamawa States&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>After years of surviving human rights violations and abuses&comma; the girls and young women Amnesty International spoke with are sending a clear message&colon; they want to rebuild their lives&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Your Excellency President I strongly advice you and your government to take appropriate and effective measures to empower all survivors by ensuring that&colon;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• they have a voluntary medical assessment immediately after leaving Boko Haram&comma; and can access comprehensive and confidential health care services after reintegration&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• they can access government education by making schools across the states and in internally displaced persons camps open and safe&comma; eliminating all costs and fees associated with primary education&comma; and developing programmes aimed at eradicating stigma and discrimination against them&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• vocational and skills training programmes are effective so that they help the girls and young women become financially self-sufficient in the long run&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Sincerely<br &sol;>&NewLine;Amb Yusuf Muhammad Kawu GAS&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Activist&comma; Volunteer&comma; Egalitarian&comma; and Advocate for human rights and good government&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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