The humanitarian organization Plan International Nigeria has called for “thorough investigation” into allegations by Amnesty International that security forces grossly violated women and girls on satellite camps for displaced people.
Amnesty’s report, They Betrayed Us, details allegations into sexual abuse and exploitation of women who survived Boko Haram insurgency.
Many were raped, starved and detained by soldiers and the Civilian Joint Task Force, according to the 89-page report.
Residents who had survived Boko Haram were forced into satellite camps, men detained enmasse, women confined in camps, thousands systematically starved, women raped or forced to give sexual favours in return for basic necessities, girls and women arbitrarily detained, according to the report.
Amnesty released the report after interviewing more than 250 individuals between June 2016 and April 2018, and said the circumstances of the violations constitute war crimes.
“The Amnesty International report raises a serious alarm and must not be swept under the carpet,” said Hussaini Abdu, country director for Plan International Nigeria.
“Girls and women fleeing Boko Haram insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria have experienced some of the worst atrocities and extreme forms of physical and sexual violence, including rape,” said Abdu.
“There are consistent reports that these violations have been perpetrated not just by insurgents but also other actors, including government officials. This is totally unacceptable and must be addressed as an urgent priority.”
Plan insists it does not operate on camps for displaced people, but instead runs activities in host communities where displaced people have settled.
It called for mechanisms to enable survivors reports incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse and have access to justice.
“It is also critical that training and oversight of troops emphasise that sexual exploitation and sexual violence are unlawful and violate the rights of women and girls,” Abdu said.
