Amnesty International on Thursday urged Nigeria to act on claims soldiers and members of the civilian militia have raped women and girls in remote camps for people displaced by Boko Haram.

The rights watchdog said it had gathered multiple testimonies about alleged abuse by the security forces, including claimed that soldiers coerced vulnerable survivors into having sex in exchange for food.

But despite long-standing complaints about sexual violence and repeated promises by the Nigerian authorities that they would address concerns, “no tangible action” had been taken.


In November 2016, police vowed to look into allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in the camps but several months later, the military rejected the allegations.

“It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out and no reports have been made public,” the London-based rights group said in a statement.

PROTECTION

Amnesty’s Nigeria director, Osai Ojigho, said it was time for President Muhammadu Buhari “to demonstrate his frequently-expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in northeast Nigeria.
https://www.leadingreporters.com/news/amnesty-highlights-sex-for-food-claims-in-the-north-east/