Nigerian government officials have been raping and exploiting female Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in camps as a result of Boko Haram’s insurgency, a report by Human Rights Watch has said.
The Report published Monday morning accused the government of not doing enough to protect affected women or punish the officials involved.
The right group said it documented 43 cases of rape and exploitation of women and girls in several IDP camps in Maiduguri in late July. It added that the victims were displaced “from Borno towns and villages, including Abadam, Bama, Baga, Damasak, Dikwa, Gamboru Ngala, Gwoza, Kukawa, and Walassa.”
According to the report “four of the victims were drugged and raped while 37 were coerced into sex through false marriage promises and material and financial assistance.”
Senior Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch, Mausi Segun said: “It is bad enough that these women and girls are not getting much-needed support for the horrific trauma they suffered at the hands of Boko Haram. It is disgraceful and outrageous that people who should protect these women and girls are attacking and abusing them.