Groups call for protection of reproductive health of Boko Haram victims

The Foundation for African Cultural Heritage (FACH), Uduimo Itsueli Foundation (UIF), and Fertility Care Centre of Africa (FCCAF) have called on the federal government to provide good ante-natal and delivery services for the rescued women and girls as well as proper rehabilitation to ensure that they live normal lives again.
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he groups have faulted the United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) who have earlier announced a 75 million dollars donation to Nigeria for reproductive health and alleged them for offering abortion and contraceptives with the funds to the rescued pregnant victims of Boko Haram and other Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Speaking at the press conference which held at Terra Kulture, in Victoria Island, in partnership with Muslim Women Association (FOMWAN) Ondo State Chapter, one of the Directors of FACH Dr. Nkechi Asogwa noted that their team who recently visited the two IDP camps in Yola saw the devastating nature of Boko Haram victims who were poorly taken care of despite the aids provided by NGOs under the management of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

She also noted that the pregnant women and girls were moved a day before their arrival to unknown location by the government in collaboration with UNFPA where reproductive health services are being given to them, “while we assume it is for security reason, we want UNFPA to tell us what the content of the reproductive health services they have to offer and what other options are there.”

According to Dr. William Henrietta of FCCAF she noted that what these women and girls need is rehabilitation, “aborting a woman who has been raped is not showing her love, abortion is a second violence against her child and so what UNFPA is doing is not different from Boko Haram. Abortion itself causes a lot of stress coupled with the stress they have gone through while being raped. Abortion and contraceptive is not an African thing, that these pregnancies were unintended does not mean they are not wanted.”

Citing the case of the Biafra war, she noted that many children then who were orphaned as a result of the war are now important citizens in the country today and so what is needed is government’s involvement and support to ensure that these lives are not wasted.

The Executive Secretary FACH, Ifeyinwa Awagu in her remarks said, “the rescued pregnant women and girls and IDPs do not need abortion or contraceptives for survival, they need real healthcare, social welfare and counseling services that would enable them to be effectively reintegrated and re-absorbed in the society so that they would continue living their lives as normal citizens of Nigeria.