Agony of a mother: Chibok parent
The fear of many Nigerians has been confirmed: Boys and girls abducted by Boko Haram, including Christian girls, are forced into marrying members of the bloody group.
A report by Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict noted on Thursday that the insurgents have also abducted other women, wom they forced into marriage..
Watchlist is an international network of human rights and humanitarian non-government organizations working to end violations against children in armed conflict.
The body in the report accused Nigerian and other international humanatarian bodies of being slow, fragmented and unable to meet the fast-growing needs of those affected by the conflict in terms of relief response to violations against children.
Watchlist noted, “Boko Haram abducted these girls and young women from schools and markets, and during raids on villages in areas across Borno State since at least December 2012. Some members of the group raped girls and young women in the camps. None of the girls and women who escaped, and were interviewed by Watchlist, had access to counseling and other health services.”
Both Boko Haram sect and the Civilian Joint Task Force (“Civilian JTF”) have subjected boys and girls to forced recruitment, detention, attacks at school, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the north-east of Nigeria, the group alleged.
The Civilian JTF, a self-defence militia formed in mid-2013 in Borno State.
“The gravity and scale of these violations warrant urgent action from the Nigerian government, United Nations and other child protection actors,” it said in a a 64-page report entitled “Who Will Care for Us? Grave Violations Against Children in Northeastern Nigeria.”
It pointed up specifically the issue of forced recruitment of children for spying and assistance during armed attacks by Boko Haram, and the Civilian JTF.
The Wachlist etched in a chilling details a pathetic picture of what it described as grave violations by some parties to the terrorist attacks since December 2012 and made some recommendations on how to better protect children.
