Alex is a member of the War Studies Department at King’s College, London. He wrote this piece as part of his internship with Arts4Refugees. His motivation was to help his peer group understand the unique experiences of post-conflict communities. This article was edited by Cassia Jefferson, a fellow student journalist from Oxford University. Bernadett from Swinburne University interviewed Alex for the podcast as well.
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Troubled pasts: reintegrating former women abductees of Boko Haram into Nigerian society
Because of their past, many women returning home from the control of Boko Haram face considerable hardship. While the threat posed by the terror group remains credible, the post-conflict experiences of women are often ignored in discussions of the insurgency. Those who escape the group - many of whom were abducted from their families to begin with - face serious mental and physical issues, as well as widespread stigma across society.
For the community of Chibok, a small and unassuming town in Northern Nigeria, the night of April 14th remains etched into the local people’s collective memory. It was on this night in 2014 that terrorists under the banner of Boko Haram attacked the town's all-girls secondary school and kidnapped 276 female students. This event was one of the most visible examples of the growing threat from Islamist terrorism in the region. The outpouring and scale of the crime was such that Boko Haram became a household name across the world.
Boko Haram emerged in 2002 in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's north-eastern most province known as Borno State. Under the eccentric tutelage of Mohammed Yusuf, the group established itself as a radical movement espousing a Salafist doctrine. Opposed to what group members perceived as a 'westernisation' of Nigeria, the very phrase boko haram literally translates to "Western education is forbidden". However, it was after 2010 when the group emerged under a new leader, Abubakar Shekau, that Boko Haram began conducting terror attacks that were far more violent than any seen before - such as the 2014 Chibok kidnapping.
Currently, 98 of the original 276 schoolgirls are still missing. Those no longer held by Boko Haram have escaped, died, or were used in prisoner exchanges. In addition to the 276 girls from Chibok, there are thousands of other "forgotten girls" - schoolgirls and women who were kidnapped in less high-profile events, and who are thus not given the same display of public remembrance. Terrorist groups use acts like kidnappings for several reasons, including gaining a bargaining chip over government and local communities, forcing people into sexual slavery, or simply to gain publicity, no matter how negative.
During captivity, Boko Haram's abductees are forced to learn and recite the Quran by note, and are beaten if they make a mistake. Girls are married off to Boko Haram fighters and coerced into bearing children, and both male and female abductees - including children - have been forced to carry out suicide attacks on civilians. After a point, it becomes difficult to distinguish between involuntary abductees and rank-and-file members, as the former are required to participate in Boko Haram's activities. It is under these conditions that some attempt to flee the group, sometimes under the cover of night or while the men are away. Others on suicide missions simply abandon their suicide vests and escape.
However, this is not enough to guarantee former victims a life of dignity and freedom outside of the group's grasp. Invariably, women who are able to escape abduction by Boko Haram return only to find themselves marginalised by the same communities they were taken from. Apprehensions that these women may be sympathisers of Boko Haram - or, even worse, loyalists to its cause sent back to commit atrocities on behalf of the group - make a genuine return to normality challenging. Women who were raped or forcibly married off are seen as tainted, known as "Boko wives" for having slept with the enemy. Friends, neighbours and family members may even deride them as annoba, a Hausa word for epidemics, used in the same context as the Ebola virus, and many fear that returning women may be tracked down and subjected to punishment in the form of attacks on them and their families. One girl, Ya koura, who was kidnapped at the age of 12 and held for 2 years before her escape, recounts this in grim detail: "I left when everyone else was still asleep and I ran. Thorns were cutting into my legs and feet, but the only thing that mattered was to get to a place where I could finally say: I am safe now!" When she finally returned home, Ya koura was shunned, as her family were worried that her kidnappers would find her and enact revenge. In the worst cases, rescued girls have chosen to return to their abductors.
At the same time, returnees often suffer from PTSD, induced from the sexual and physical violence endured under captivity. This same violence can also cause physical health issues, such as sexually transmitted infections, injuries, malnutrition, and other illnesses.
Clearly, addressing the range of issues impeding the fostering of reconciliation requires a comprehensive approach. Psychological support and healthcare services ought to be the first point of call to protect victims. In Maiduguri, the ratio of 1 psychologist for every 350,000 residents is far below the level necessary to support a sustained and proper counselling programme for every abductee, in addition to the millions of people displaced by terrorist activity in the region. Reconciliation itself is a complex task, and restoring trust between families and abducted girls can be difficult. Although abductees may be free, public perceptions of those who have been held captive are difficult to change. This is particularly the case for women, who are seen as subservient to their male counterparts in Boko Haram unlike male victims. Authorities should pay great attention to the testimonies and experiences of those who have had to live under the control of Boko Haram. Using this insight, there is room for NGOs and local communities to lead the way in reconciling communities and abductees through educational processes that shine a light on victims’ experiences. If they are shunned by their communities, greater measures need to be put in place to provide an adequate social safety net.
It is worrying that the main programmes for former Boko Haram members and abductees are male-focused, such as the most prominent deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration (DRR) programme as part of Operation Safe Corridor, the Nigerian military's attempt to reintegrate former Boko Haram members into wider society. Luckily, Boko Haram has largely been on the decline in northern Nigeria, although this has come at the cost of significant abuses by security forces in their bid to tackle the group head-on. The problem of how to integrate former abductees into Nigerian society remains. Without proper reconciliation efforts in place, the ability for returnees to live their lives in peace and dignity will continue to be limited.
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