91 Chibok schoolgirls still missing or in captivity 10 years on

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has said that 91 Chibok schoolgirls remain in captivity or are still missing, 10 years after their abduction.

CEDAW also reported that many survivors continue to endure trauma and social stigma, with little to no access to adequate support services.

The findings were published in a report following a two-week confidential mission to Nigeria in December 2023.

During the visit, the CEDAW delegation conducted assessments in Abuja as well as in several states, including Adamawa, Borno, Enugu, and Kaduna.

“The committee finds grave and systematic violations persist after Chibok mass abduction of schoolgirls,” the report said.

“Nigeria is responsible for grave and systematic violations of women’s and girls’ rights amid multiple mass abductions.”

The experts said urgent measures were needed to end torture and ill-treatment.

According to school staff, they were the first UN delegation to have visited Chibok Government Secondary School since the mass abduction in 2014.

In Abuja, they met with the Director of the Women Development Department and the Director of Defence and Security.

The committee also met with officials from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and representatives from the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Police Service Commission.

The delegation visited an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Abuja, where they interviewed victims of abductions by Boko Haram, as well as women and girls who had been abducted for ransom by other groups.

“The initial focus of the committee’s inquiry was on the mass abduction carried out by Boko Haram in 2014, when 276 schoolgirls were taken from Chibok Secondary School in Borno State.

“Of that number, 82 managed to escape on their own, while 103 were released in small groups between 2016 and 2017 through prisoner exchanges.

“At least 91 of the Chibok girls remain in captivity, or their whereabouts are still unknown.”

However, the scope of the CEDAW inquiry extended beyond the Chibok case, encompassing abductions carried out by other armed groups in subsequent years, including those committed for ransom.

Nahla Haidar, chair of the committee, said, “The abduction of the Chibok girls was not an isolated tragedy but part of a series of mass abductions targeting schools and communities across northern Nigeria, though it was the first publicised case to gain global support.

“While such attacks had started earlier, Chibok marked the beginning of increased international attention of a decade-long pattern of mass abduction.”

Mr Haidar added, “At least 1,400 students have been kidnapped from schools since the Chibok abduction.

“These girls were often taken for ransom, forced marriage, trafficking and prisoner exchange,

“The committee considered that the state party’s repeated failure to protect schoolgirls and other women and girls from abductions amounts to systematic and grave violations,” she added.

The report documented the harsh conditions in Boko Haram and other armed groups’ detention, where the Chibok girls were not given adequate food and beaten if they disobeyed.

It added that many were forced to marry fighters, forced to convert their religion and some gave birth in captivity.

“Other survivors of abductions for ransom by other armed groups faced extremely high risks of sexual violence, often suffering repeated rape by different men, and other physical violence,” the report found.

Varied outcomes, ordeals of unlucky abductees

For the Chibok girls, the report said outcomes after release varied.

CEDAW said those who escaped on their own could not go back to their villages due to the stigmatisation of women associated with Boko Haram and other armed groups.

The report alleged that many of them had reportedly received neither rehabilitation, counselling nor schooling.

“The 103 girls freed through government negotiations received training and psychosocial care in Abuja, with many benefiting from scholarships at the American University of Nigeria and abroad,” CEDAW added.

“Meanwhile, the fate of the 91 remaining Chibok girls remains unknown, as the government was no longer pursuing negotiations with the armed fighters,” the report noted.

“The testimonies of survivors highlight not only the suffering endured during captivity, but also the profound challenges faced upon their return.

“These girls were failed twice, first when they were abducted, and again when so many of them were left abandoned without care or support after escaping, including those left in IDPs’ camps.

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“In addition, many families were left destitute having used all their assets to pay the ransom to the kidnappers,” Haidar said.

The Committee concluded that authorities had failed to prevent targeted attacks on schools and communities, protect schoolgirls from abduction and ensure their right to education.

“It also found the state party failed to destigmatise survivors of abduction, especially victims of rape and their children.”

The authority is also held responsible for failing to criminalise abduction and marital rape across all 36 states.

“The Committee urged the state party to proactively seek to rescue the remaining 91 Chibok girls and all other abducted girls and women who are being held captive by Boko Haram and other armed groups.

“It also asked Nigeria to adequately fund and equip the Police Force to protect women and girls from mass abduction.”

It said the full inquiry report with findings and recommendations were now available online.

The delegation comprised two designated Committee members—Dalia Leinarte (Lithuania) and Rhoda Reddock (Trinidad and Tobago)—and was accompanied by two Human Rights Officers.

(NAN)