GENEVA - Nigeria is responsible for grave and systematic violations of women's and girls' rights amid multiple mass abductions, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has found. The Committee highlighted that 91 Chibok schoolgirls are still held captive or missing ten years on, while survivors continue to suffer trauma and stigma without adequate support.
The Committee published its inquiry report today, after a two-week confidential visit to the country in December 2023. During the mission, the CEDAW delegation visited the capital Abuja and different states, including Adamawa, Borno, Enugu and Kaduna. 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, the Director of Defence and Security, 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 also visited the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Abuja and interviewed victims of abductions by Boko Haram and women and girls victims of other abductions for ransom.
The initial information received by the Committee referred specifically to the abductions carried out by Boko Haram fighters who abducted 276 girls from Chibok secondary school in Borno State in 2014. Among them, 82 escaped by themselves, and 103 were released in small groups between 2016 and 2017 in exchange for prisoners. At least 91 of the Chibok girls are either still in captivity or their fate is unknown.
The scope of the CEDAW inquiry, however, also covered abductions perpetrated by other armed groups since that time, including abductions for ransom.
"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. 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," said Nahla Haidar, Chair of the Committee.
"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. 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.
For the Chibok girls, outcomes after release varied. 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. Many of them have reportedly received no rehabilitation, counselling or 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. Meanwhile, the fate of the 91 remaining Chibok girls remains unknown, as the government was no longer pursuing negotiations with the armed fighters.
"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 IDP camps. 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 Nigeria has 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. Nigeria 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.
The full inquiry report with findings and recommendations is now available online.
