"Dirty Blood"; Victims of Sexual Violence in Nigeria

Approximately two years after the abduction of over 270 schoolgirls from a secondary school in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria, the organization International Alert has released a new study titled "Dirty Blood" addressing the victims of sexual violence by Boko Haram and the children resulting from these assaults. According to the research conducted by the NGO International Alert, although the abduction of teenage girls and their forced marriages by Boko Haram in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, began at least in 2012, this issue received little attention from international media until April 2014, when the news of the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from a secondary school in Chibok triggered widespread reactions among people and governments worldwide. Estimates by International Alert in this report suggest that between 500 to 2000 women and children have been abducted by Boko Haram since 2012. Some of the abducted women and girls who managed to escape or were rescued by the Nigerian army during attacks on Boko Haram's positions face cold receptions from their families and communities. The research indicates that many members of local communities believe these women have been brainwashed and radicalized by Boko Haram, leading to fears of accepting them back. On the other hand, some of these women have been raped by Boko Haram members and have become pregnant, bringing children from these assaults with them. These children are referred to by some locals as "dirty blood," with the belief that a wolf's offspring becomes a wolf. They fear these children will commit violence in the future like their fathers, making them unwilling to accept them. In its recent research, International Alert not only interviewed various activists in religious, traditional, and governmental fields but also spoke with 14 girls who were victims of Boko Haram and have returned to their local communities. Some of these women and teenage girls love their children, despite them being the result of rape, while others have attempted to terminate these pregnancies despite Nigeria's anti-abortion laws. At the end of this research, the NGO International Alert proposed solutions including counseling services for victims of Boko Haram violence and their families, calling for more government support for these women and children. Even after about two years since the abduction of dozens of schoolgirls from a school in Chibok, there is still no accurate news about their fate.