THE latest rescue of additional 234 women and children by the
Nigerian Army from the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, indicated,
yesterday, that a sizeable number of the rescued girls were visibly
pregnant, even as unofficial reports put the latest number of pregnant
girls in one of the camps in
Borno as at last Saturday at 214.
Giving this indication in Lagos, Executive Director, UNFPA, Prof.
Babatunde Osotimehin, also disclosed that in the last one year, the
organization had taken deliveries of over 16,000 pregnancies in the
troubled North East part of the country.
Osotimehin, while giving update of the response to the
rehabilitation of the rescued women and children, said the organization,
in anticipation of the magnitude of the problem on hand, had put in
place a formidable team in collaboration with the Federal and state
governments, to first restore the dignity of the girls, who, he said,
are facing severe psychosocial trauma.
This handout picture released by the Nigerian army on April 30,
2015 and taken this week in an undisclosed location in the Sambisa
Forest, Borno state, purportedly shows a member of the Nigerian Army
standing next to a group of women and children rescued in an operation
against the Islamist group Boko Haram. Boko Haram hostages were held in
atrocious conditions in the group’s Sambisa Forest stronghold, Nigeria’s
military said on April 30 after nearly 500 women and girls were
released this week. AFP PHOTO / NIGERIAN ARMY
On the state of the girls, he explained that most of them, due to the long period spent in captivity, required a special set of services that would facilitate their integration into society.
On the state of the girls, he explained that most of them, due to the long period spent in captivity, required a special set of services that would facilitate their integration into society.
“What we found is that some of the women and girls that have come
back actually have much more in terms of the stress they have faced, so
the counselling has to be more intense and working with them one-on-one.
“I’m glad the communities are not excommunicating them and are taking them back.
That is an important therapy too. We anticipate this is going to
escalate because the military intervention is continuing, we find that
more people are now needing our services and we will continue,” he
stated.
Further, he explained that the UNFPA had earlier collaborated with
the Federal and state governments to train 60 counsellors to offer
psychosocial services to the affected women and children.
He noted that those trained were people from the communities, who understand the context and sociology of the people.
“UNFPA is providing dignity for women. In conflict and disasters,
most people would only think of water and sanitation, provision of tents
and housing, and food, which are all important.
But women and girls have specific needs that nobody else looks
after; it is only UNFPA that is doing this. We are giving psychosocial
counselling.
“Beyond that, in the growing young people, we will always have
pregnant women, but nobody segregates the needs of the pregnant women
which are very important and different from the needs of the average
community.
We look after them, and ensure they get antenatal care and that
they deliver properly and that they even get Caesarean Section when
necessary.
Source: Vanguard
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