Boko Haram ‘forcing girls to take part in operations
Boko Haram, the Islamist group behind the kidnapping of more than 270 Nigerian schoolgirls in April, has been sending captured women and girls to the battlefront, besides abusing them physically and mentally, according to a new report.
Kidnapped girls and women who refused to convert to Islam at the hands of Boko Haram have been subjected to “forced participation in military operations, including carrying ammunition or luring men into ambush; forced marriage to their captors; and sexual abuse, including rape,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed on Monday.
The plight of scores of girls taken away by the al Qaeda-linked group in the Nigerian town of Chibok gained global attention six months ago, spawning the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
However, kidnappings have continued. Thirty boys and girls were snatched in the northeast state of Borno over the weekend, in what was only the latest incident of its kind.
Boko Haram has abducted at least 500 women and girls from northern Nigeria since 2009 and has perpetrated numerous human rights abuses against them in captivity, the London-based rights group said in its new 63-page report.
“While much has been written about Boko Haram and the horrific threat it poses, very little is known about the abuses endured by women and girls in captivity,” HRW explained.
Not random abductions
In addition to being forced go to the front lines and into sexual slavery, women and girls interviewed by HRW said they were also made to cook, clean, and perform other household chores.
“Others served as porters, carrying the loot stolen by the insurgents from villages and towns they had attacked,” according to the report.
HRW said the majority of women and girls appeared to have been targeted for abduction because they were students, Christians, or both.
“Some of the victims were threatened with death if they refused to convert to Islam. One young woman held in a camp near Gwoza described how combatants placed a noose around her neck and threatened her with death until she renounced her religion,” the group noted.
The rights group said many Nigerians felt like their government was not doing enough to protect them from possible Boko Haram attacks or providing health and psychological help for victims.
It said the international community should encourage and support both investigating and prosecuting human rights abuses carried out by Boko Haram, as well as violations committed by government security forces.
The plight of scores of girls taken away by the al Qaeda-linked group in the Nigerian town of Chibok gained global attention six months ago, spawning the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
However, kidnappings have continued. Thirty boys and girls were snatched in the northeast state of Borno over the weekend, in what was only the latest incident of its kind.
Boko Haram has abducted at least 500 women and girls from northern Nigeria since 2009 and has perpetrated numerous human rights abuses against them in captivity, the London-based rights group said in its new 63-page report.
“While much has been written about Boko Haram and the horrific threat it poses, very little is known about the abuses endured by women and girls in captivity,” HRW explained.
Not random abductions
In addition to being forced go to the front lines and into sexual slavery, women and girls interviewed by HRW said they were also made to cook, clean, and perform other household chores.
“Others served as porters, carrying the loot stolen by the insurgents from villages and towns they had attacked,” according to the report.
HRW said the majority of women and girls appeared to have been targeted for abduction because they were students, Christians, or both.
“Some of the victims were threatened with death if they refused to convert to Islam. One young woman held in a camp near Gwoza described how combatants placed a noose around her neck and threatened her with death until she renounced her religion,” the group noted.
The rights group said many Nigerians felt like their government was not doing enough to protect them from possible Boko Haram attacks or providing health and psychological help for victims.
It said the international community should encourage and support both investigating and prosecuting human rights abuses carried out by Boko Haram, as well as violations committed by government security forces.
Date created : 2014-10-27
No comments:
Post a Comment