7,000 women, girls abducted as sex slaves by Boko Haram, says UN report

A report by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordination Agency (OCHA) has revealed that between 2,000 to 7,000 women and girls have been abducted and used as sex slaves since the beginning of Boko Haram onslaught in the North East six years ago.

The report revealed that women and girls abducted by Boko Haram (at least 2,000) are often raped, forced into marriage, labour, religious conversion, physically, sexually, emotionally abused, exposed to sexually transmitted infections and are often pregnant when escaping captivity.

It would be recalled that there have been several reports on the abduction of women and girls in some villages in the North East and this include the schoolgirls that were abducted in Chibok, Borno State.

OCHA in a statement unveiling its 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan made available to The Guardian and signed by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Jean Gough, lamented that some adolescent girls have reportedly engaged in survival sex to meet their basic needs.

It said 2,000-7,000 civilians have been reported missing while women and girls are subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation with some being used as suicide bombers.

It, however, disclosed plans to provide humanitarian assistance to 3.9 million affected persons in the region, adding that gender-based violence prevention and response activities would be provided for 600,000 persons.

Giving an analysis of the humanitarian situation in the region, the statement revealed that more than 20,000 civilians have lost their lives, between 2,000-7,000 women and girls are abducted as sex slaves, over two million people are internally displaced, over eight million are hungry and around three million civilians are trapped in inaccessible and insecure areas.

The newsletter further revealed that in the four states of Adamawa, Gombe, Borno and Bauchi, over 14.8 million people have been affected by the crisis and the people in need of humanitarian assistance are seven million.

The UN agency disclosed that $248 million would be required to provide humanitarian assistance adding that it had already secured commitments from 62 partners.

A breakdown of the figure revealed that 1.7 million people are displaced in Borno, 200,000 displaced in Yobe, 400,000 in Gombe. It also said 1.8 million people living in host communities have been affected and over three million people are living in inaccessible areas.

The report lamented that Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State has received more than one million IDPs, and this number has affected the delivery of basic services.

It said more than 1,000 people contracted cholera and 18 have died since September 2015, in an outbreak which started in an IDP camp and spread to 10 more camps and surrounding communities.