海角大神

Nigeria's Boko Haram forces kidnapped girls into marriage: Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch says more than 7,000 civilians have died since 2009 at the hands of the extremist group. Nigeria recently announced a cease-fire that it said would allow for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted in April. 

|
Joe Penney/REUTERS/File
Rachel Daniel, 35, holds up a picture of her abducted daughter Rose Daniel, 17, as her son Bukar, 7, sits beside her at her home in Maiduguri in this May 21, 2014 file photo.

Boko Haram has kidnapped more than 500 women and girls in recent years and is increasing the use of abductions, rape, forced labor, and marriage as weapons of war, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.

New York-based HRW criticized the Nigerian government for what it called the 鈥渉orrific vulnerability鈥 of all females in the northeast, where the extremist group operates.聽The report, released today, came as 30 more boys and girls in the state of Borno were kidnapped by Boko Haram, allegedly to be used as child soldiers,

The Borno abductions are the second mass kidnapping since the government announced Oct. 17 that it was negotiating a cease-fire with Boko Haram that would involve the release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted last spring in the town of Chibok. Yet just days after the announcement,聽Boko Haram insurgents took at least 25 women and girls, dashing hopes of a deal with the government.聽Talks took place secretly in Chad, according to Reuters.

Today's 63-page report by HRW聽 of Boko Haram abductions, including several young women from Chibok who escaped after being grabbed at their dormitory in April. The incident shocked the world and led to the Bring Back our Girls movement.

The report includes testimony from a number of cases, such as this one:

A 19-year-old secondary school student in Konduga, Borno State, told Human Rights Watch that when armed Boko Haram insurgents stopped the vehicle in which she and five other female students were traveling home from school in January, one of the insurgents shouted, "Aha! These are the people we are looking for. So you are the ones with strong heads who insist on attending school when we have said 鈥榖oko鈥 is 鈥榟aram.鈥 We will kill you here today."

'The students were held in the insurgents鈥 camp deep within the 518-square-kilometer Sambisa forest for two days. They were released after they pretended to be Muslims and pledged never to return to school.

Since 2009, Boko Haram has killed more than 7,000 civilians, according to HRW. And the pace has quickened:聽Some 4,000 of those killings have taken place in the past year, and more than 2,000 resulted from 95 attacks in the first six months of 2014.

Last year, President聽Goodluck Jonathan declared an emergency in three northeast states.聽The Nigerian Army went into the main cities with considerable force at the outset of the emergency, but has made little headway against聽the group鈥檚 guerrilla tactics and its ruthless and indiscriminate killing sprees against civilians of every age and stripe 鈥 young students, moderate Muslims, 海角大神s, elderly, and females.

HRW and other watchdogs have previously documented many cases where villagers were warned by Boko Haram insurgents they were coming. When villagers informed the Army or police, the soldiers or police would often disappear.聽

Despite the doctrinal incoherency of Boko Haram, whose members range from local thugs and unemployed gang members to madrassa students, it has repeated two clear statements of its intent in the past several years: The first is to create an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria鈥檚 northeast. The second is to undermine the Jonathan government, which the group says has failed northern Nigeria's poor and impoverished Muslims. National elections in Nigeria are due early next year.聽

HRW says an adequate response to the needs of victims is lacking. The government aided 57 of the Chibok students who escaped, partly using funds provided by NGOs and foreign governments.聽

[But] the funds 鈥 appear not to have widely benefitted the many other victims of Boko Haram abuses. None of the other women and girls interviewed by HRW had received or was aware of any government-supported mental health or medical care. Many fear discussing the trauma they endured.

鈥楾he survivors of Boko Haram鈥檚 violence should not be shamed and frightened into silence,鈥 [says Africa director of HRW Daniel] Bekele. 鈥業t is Boko Haram that should be ashamed of the abuses they commit against women and girls in their extreme interpretation of religious text.鈥

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
海角大神 was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to 鈥渟peak the truth in love.鈥 Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.
QR Code to Nigeria's Boko Haram forces kidnapped girls into marriage: Human Rights Watch
Read this article in
/World/Security-Watch/terrorism-security/2014/1027/Nigeria-s-Boko-Haram-forces-kidnapped-girls-into-marriage-Human-Rights-Watch
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
/subscribe