By Rachel Starling, Sophia Pagnone, Licette Renteria, Madison Mercer, and Leila Youssef
As we discussed in our last post, three weeks ago 21 Chibok girls were released from Boko Haram. The details of the negotiations leading to the release of the girls still remain to be fully disclosed. What we do know is that the Nigerian government and Boko Haram relied on the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government for help in mediation during the talks. Local sources say that the girls were released in exchange for the bailout of several Boko Haram fighters held in custody by Nigerian forces (Bradley, 2016). The Nigerian government has said that negotiations are to continue surrounding the release of the remaining girls. However, it is estimated that roughly a third of the girls are unwilling to leave the group for various reasons. Some of the girls have adopted the radical values held by Boko Haram, and others, who have been married, are unwilling to leave their husbands and return to their villages. Other girls are ashamed to return, out of fear of rejection or stigma surrounding the sexual abuse many of the girls faced in captivity (“Third of Chibok Girls Unwilling”, 2016). Meanwhile, the girls who have been released are currently encountering many challenges with their reintegration into society.
https://www.africanexponent.com/post/8050-the-release-of-21-chibok-girls-a-belated-international-day-of-the-girl-child-present
Although it’s a relief that the 21 girls have been released from this militant groups’ control, they still face obstacles as former captives of Boko Haram and are perceived by some as shameful, supporters of the group. Some Nigerians believe that the kidnapped persons have been radicalized into advocates of Boko Haram. Unfortunately, this is not an entirely unfounded concern, and some of the Chibok girls have become radicalized. Some fear that once these girls are reintegrated back into society, they will use their newfound freedom to recruit new members and endorse their extremist ideology (Guilbert, Nwaubani, 2016). The recent use of female suicide bombers by Boko Haram has intensified these concerns (Nwaubani, 2016). Gender biases that are embedded in Nigerian cultural and social norms have also facilitated this marginalization of former captives. Victims of sexual violence and rape are recognized as disgraces to their families and sexually plagued (Okafor-Vanni, 2013). Children born out of rape are thought to be shamed by “bad blood” of Boko Haram members (Guilbert, Nwaubani, 2016). Both those raped and born out of rape, face serious rejection from the communities they once belonged to.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/nigeria-boko-haram-releases-21-chibok-girls-161013102746662.html
The stigma tied to these former abductees has negative consequences for the girls’ mental health, self-esteem, and wellbeing. Psychological counselors for captives have stated that Nigeria’s mental-health programs were insufficient. (Guilbert, Nwaubani, 2016). Part of the reason for the lack of these services, is Nigeria’s cultural understanding of sexual violence and abduction. These issues are not deemed significant as they aren’t in many countries, failing to give victims the recovery they need (Okafor-Vanni, 2013). These girls are facing mental health issues including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and problems with self confidence. After release, prior captives are concerned about how their families and peers will perceive them and fear being ostracized (Guilbert, Nwaubani, 2016). The lack of psychological services, alongside cultural beliefs within Nigeria, are making the assimilation of these girls back into their communities extremely difficult.
Analysis
Nigerian culture plays a large role in the treatment and perception of the Chibok schoolgirls who were victims of enslavement by Boko Haram. Nigeria, alongside other countries, has specific norms which dictate what is acceptable behavior for men and women in its society (Boundless, 2016). Nigeria is a patriarchal country in which men dominate virtually every field (Curry, 2016). This causes Nigerian women to greatly depend on their community members for support, survival, and their overall wellbeing (Amnesty International International Human Rights Organization, 2016). This dependency on community may be a cause of the girls’ obstacles while attempting to reintegrate back into society. The structure of Nigerian society makes these girls reliant on societal support, yet the cultural norms make their societies understand them as sexually plagued. This combination generates the girls’ difficulties of assimilating back into their normal lives, as well as makes the ostracism from their communities especially hard.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/03/chibok-girls-escaped-boko-haram-new-fear-return-school
Although, gender bias and inequality are not confined to Nigeria alone, as these issues are globally prominent in almost every nation. Patriarchy and discrimination against women do not exist solely in Nigerian communities, and instead exist on an international level, making these issues some of the most significant to solve. Gender biases with sexual issues is specifically prevalent throughout the world, and many cultures often “victim-blame” or understand rape victims as sexually afflicted (Kamrany, Robinson, 2016). From ostracism in Nigeria, honor killings throughout areas of the Middle East and Africa, and even “slut-shaming” in the United States and elsewhere depicts the universality of these issues. The international extent of these problems makes the Chibok girls’ obstacles even more relevant on a global scale. They represent what so many women and girls suffer throughout the world, cultural and international standards of the female. The global community should recognize what so many women face every day.
Because former captives of Boko Haram face marginalization and rejection by family and community members, there is speculation over the best course of action for reintegration. A leader of Nigeria’s Chibok community has called for them to continue their education in the United States. Some of the 57 Chibok girls who managed to escape a few hours after the Islamist militants stormed their school were taken to the United States “Maybe it will help them forget what they have been through in the past," Patience Bulus said (BBC, 2016). But these girls were subjected to constant media attention and appearances for a period of two years, which was disruptive to their school attendance and performance and emotionally turbulent. Some see this as a tool for making money as the girls were often encouraged to embellish their stories. The United States’ original effort to help locate and rescue the girls produced scant results, American and Nigerian officials said, in part because of distrust. “Tensions in the U.S.-Nigeria relationship are probably at their highest level in the past decade,” Johnnie Carson, the State Department’s former top diplomat for Africa (BBC, 2016). The international community may have a pivotal role as the girls try to assimilate back into their normal lives. A full recovery could be challenging and in order for the girls to be adequately rehabilitated, they would need the solidarity of the Nigerian people. Support is encouraged by the UN as “not only a moral obligation, but a fulfillment of women and children’s legal rights under international law.”(United Nations, 2016) Time will gauge the success of assimilation, and the support of the international community critical in its success.
References
AFP/Getty Images. (Photographer). (2015, February 3). Some of the chibok schoolgirls who escaped boko haram. ten months on, some girls are now back in education. not all could shake off the fear the militants would return for them [digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/03/chibok-girls-escaped-boko-haram-new-fear-return-school
The African Exponent. (Photographer). (2016, November 13). The release of 21 chibok girls: a belated international day of the girl child present [digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.africanexponent.com/post/8050-the-release-of-21-chibok-girls-a-belated-international-day-of-the-girl-child-present
Aljazeera. (2016a) .Third of chibok girls 'unwilling to leave boko haram'. Al Jazeera Media Network. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/chibok-girls-unwilling-leave-boko-haram-161019094349495.html
Al Jazeera. (Photographer). (2016, October 13b). More than 200 nigerian girls were kidnapped from a school in chibok by boko haram [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/nigeria-boko-haram-releases-21-chibok-girls-161013102746662.html
Amnesty International International Human Rights Organization. (2016) . Consequences of sexual violence for women and communities in darfur. CLG Portal. Retrieved from https://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=136
Boundless. (2016) . Human sexuality and culture. Boundless Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/gender-and-sexuality-15/sexuality-415/human-sexuality-and-culture-299-12834/
Bradley, S. (2016) . Swiss facilitate release of 21 chibok girls. Swissinfo.ch. Retrieved from http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/boko-haram-abductions_swiss-facilitate-release-of-21-chibok-girls-/42515338
Curry, T. (2016) . Nigeria. Advameg, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nigeria.html#ixzz4PIyzVH78
Guilbert, K & Nwaubani, A.T. (2016) . Chibok girls freed by nigeria's boko haram risk rejection home: exports. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-bokoharam-schoolgirls-idUSKCN12I27Z
Kamrany, N.M. & Robinson, C. The global problem of gender inequality. (2012) . Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nake-m-kamrany/gender-inequality_b_1417535.html
Lere, Mohammed. (Photographer). (2016, October 13). Vice president yemi osinbajo has met with the 21 chibok school girls released by boko haram thursday [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/212714-video-osinbajo-meets-released-chibok-girls.html
Nwaubani, A.T. (2016) . How to protect the chibok girls from reliving their horror. BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37750983
This blog post is very sad and it takes a perspective many people often forget about. It gives the insight into the psychological and societal consequences Boko Haram has caused for these girls past their abduction. I like learning more from this point of view even though it is very bleak.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is very sad but it a very well written and researched blog post. I am fascinated with how the mind works and this just goes to show how deeply affected human being can be in not only a physical level but a psychological level as well.
ReplyDelete