Girls Rescued from Boko Haram Raped by Gov't Officials, Authorities

A number women and girls rescued from Boko Haram have been subject to rape and abuse from Nigerian government officials, soldiers, and police who were supposed to be protecting them, according to Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch documented sexual abuse, rape, and exploitation among 43 women living in seven placement camps in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, since July 2016.

"It is bad enough that these women and girls are not getting much-needed support for the horrific trauma they suffered at the hands of Boko Haram," said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch. "It is disgraceful and outrageous that people who should protect these women and girls are attacking and abusing them."

More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict with Boko Haram since 2009. At least 2,000 women and children have also been kidnapped, forced into marriage, or used as sex slaves. 

Recently, 21 Chibok school girls were reunited with their families after being held by the terror group for more than two years. 

According to a situational assessment reported by the Human Rights Watch, 66 percent of the 400 displaced people in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states said women were abused by camp officials. 

Four victims who've shared their stories with the organization said they were drugged and raped. Another 37 said that they were coerced into sex through false promises of food and other help.

Women reported that camp guards demanded sexual favors before they go out of the camp to beg for food. 

One 16-year-old girl described how she was drugged and raped in May 2015 by a vigilante group member in charge of distributing aid at the refugee camp. 

The girl said the attacker first tried to entice her with food, but she refused his advances. She said that he later drugged her with a drink.

"I knew something was wrong when I woke up. I was in pain, and blood was coming out of my private part. I felt weak and could not walk well. I did not tell anyone because I was afraid," she recalled.

"When my menstrual period did not come, I knew I was pregnant and just wanted to die to join my dead mother," the young girl continued. "I was too ashamed to even go to the clinic for pregnancy care. I am so young!"

"The man ran away from the camp when he heard I delivered a baby six months ago," she said. "I just feel sorry for the baby because I have no food or love to give him. I think he might die."