TVC E. According to the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno State, the number of female internally displaced persons who have turned to prostitution in the state is increasing at an alarming rate.
The Chairman of the CSOs, Ahmed Shehu, made the disclosure that IDP women and teenagers were engaging in prostitution in a desperate bid to feed their families.
Shehu said this at the presentation of the situational assessment of internally displaced persons in the North-East by a non-governmental Organisation, NOI Polls, on Tuesday, September 20, in Abuja.
Shehu noted that 60% of female IDPs have suffered rape as well as other forms of sexual harassment, explaining that most of the homes in Maiduguri are being headed by teenagers forced to step up after their parents were either killed, missing or in captivity with Boko Haram.
He stated that high incidences of sexually transmitted diseases in the state could worsen with the new development.
“Many females were raped and killed while collecting firewood, particularly as they travelled farther from their communities. Many teenagers are heading their families now because their parents had been killed or captured by Boko Haram. The sad part of it is that many female internally displaced persons have gone into prostitution so that they can feed themselves.”
Mohammed Alfa, a Borno-based journalist, noted that foods meant for the IDPs were being hijacked and sold by officials of the state government, alleging that his life has been threatened for publishing a report on the disparaging activities which go on in the camps, adding that he was not afraid.
In its assessment, the NOI noted that cases of sexual abuse and social vices have increased in the camps, calling on the government to address it before it got out of hand.
NOI also affirmed that there has been incidences of corruption and sharp practices pertaining to the distribution of relief materials donated to the IDPs.
The report stated, “Majority of IDPs (93 per cent) attested that they don’t get most of the relief materials like food, clothes, medicines and so on, allocated to them by the government and donor agencies.”
