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Summary
A report by the Amnesty International organisation decried the negligence and lack of support of the Nigerian government towards female survivors of Boko Haram who have experienced forced marriage and trafficking. The report highlighted how these girls and young women experienced further abuse in the form of unlawful military detention and a lack of support services from the government.
Female survivors of Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east, including victims of forced marriages and trafficking, are still neglected by Nigeria’s government despite the landmark report of Amnesty International and its campaign of the #EmpowerOurGirls# last year.
In June 2024, Amnesty International published a new report, Nigeria: Girls failed by authorities after escaping Boko Haram captivity, documenting how female survivors of Boko Haram captivity received inadequate support from the government as they attempted to reintegrate into society and rebuild their lives. The report further revealed how these girls and young women experienced further abuse in prolonged and unlawful Nigerian military detention, denied humanitarian assistance, and left to fend for themselves, further exposing them to the risk of continued abuse.
In 2025, survivors still report inadequate support and negligence from the government. Amnesty International remotely interviewed seven escapees of Boko Haram captivity in February 2025. None of the survivors testified to being offered tailored reintegration programmes like vocational training, counselling, and other support services as claimed by the Nigerian government.
“The moment girls or young women leave Boko Haram should mark the start of their reintegration into society, and yet, many have told us they are still being left to fend for themselves and are struggling to survive”, said Isa Sanusi, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
“Victims of Boko Haram abuses, including forced marriage and human trafficking, are still not being identified and helped. Girl survivors are still overwhelmingly invisible to the government authorities.
We call on President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian government to take urgent action to support survivors of Boko Haram. These girls and young women must be empowered and have immediate access to medical care, education, and livelihood support,” he added.
Eleven years after the abduction of the 276 Chibok girls in 2014, only 194 of them gained freedom (some escaped on their own, and others were released after intense negotiation and campaigns by civil society organisations and the government). Eighty-two girls remained in captivity, and the Nigerian government showed a lack of commitment and will to liberate them. Still, many girls and young women continued to be abducted by Boko Haram insurgents and gunmen across the northern region of the country. This inaction is a clear display of the government’s failure to ensure the protection of female rights and justice for the kidnapped victims.
