Girls and young women who escaped Boko Haram captivity in north-east Nigeria are still being neglected by the country’s authorities, one year after Amnesty International’s landmark report and launch of the #EmpowerOurGirls campaign.
In June 2024, Amnesty International published ‘Help us build our lives’: Girl survivors of Boko Haram and military abuses in north-east Nigeria, documenting how these girls and young women were requesting support as they attempted to heal and reintegrate into society.
Now, survivors have told Amnesty International that the government is still failing to provide adequate reintegration services and they are unable to support themselves or their families.
“One year later, it is unacceptable that the Nigerian authorities still cannot ensure these girls and young women are able to rebuild their lives in safety,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
“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.
“Victims of Boko Haram abuses, including forced marriage and 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.”
“We call on President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian government to take urgent action to support survivors of Boko Haram.” Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria
In February 2025, Amnesty International remotely interviewed seven recently-escaped survivors who were forcibly married to Boko Haram members, and one survivor who lived in Boko Haram-controlled territory. Seven survivors were between the ages of 12 and 17; the other was a 22-year-old woman who was forcibly married to a Boko Haram fighter as a child.
None of the survivors were offered any tailored reintegration services or made aware of available counselling, vocational training, or other support services. In seven cases, when child survivors encountered security forces after leaving Boko Haram, they were not transferred to civilian authorities for appropriate care, as specified by the terms of the handover protocol signed between the Nigerian government and the United Nations in 2022.
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Nigeria should take steps “to promote [the] physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration” of children who are victims of armed conflict. The African Children’s Charter and the Maputo Protocol also oblige Nigeria to afford special protection to girls and women against early and forced marriage.
“We need support for shelter and food”
Three survivors from Banki in Borno State – two aged 17, and AN* aged 13 – escaped together in December 2024, and are now living together. All three said they had not met or engaged with any security or local government officials since leaving Boko Haram captivity.
LC*, aged 17, was forcibly married when she was approximately seven or eight years old. She was forcibly remarried when her Boko Haram husband was killed. Her two children died of hunger three years ago when in the bush. She told Amnesty International she “didn’t receive anything from the government” and was unaware of any government support programme.
AN* was forcibly married, but did not remarry after her husband was killed. Describing her escape, she said: “We tried to run twice but we were caught. We spent two nights out running but they [Boko Haram] found us and brought us back…they just flogged us… If you do something wrong, they just flog us.”
She told Amnesty International her message to the government was: “We need support for shelter and food.”
GP*, a 13-year-old from Mafa in Borno State, was forcibly married into Boko Haram after the group killed her father. She escaped her husband and was taken to a prison by soldiers, who gave her food and water. She was then transferred to a camp, where she met her mother by chance. She now lives with her mother and said: “[We receive] no support from anybody since we came out of the bush… We go to the bush, get some firewood and sell it.”
NB*, aged 12, was forcibly married, but also escaped and now lives with her mother and other relatives in Mafa. She told how she was first taken to prison, and when she was questioned by soldiers and asked about her age, she was not informed of any special services available. She has not yet received any assistance from the government or other non-governmental organizations.
SC*, 16, told Amnesty International that soldiers had assisted reuniting her with family. She is currently living with them in an internally displaced persons camp and said that soldiers helped her after she escaped Boko Haram territory. She said: “They [the soldiers] took me to Mafa and tried to go and search for my parents… The soldiers went to the camps and searched for community leaders and said who I was looking for. And from there they located [my parents].”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
