Boko Haram: 214 girls rescued from Sambisa forest pregnant – UNFPA

There are indications that some of the additional 234 women and children rescued by the Nigerian Army from the Sambisa Forest in Borno State are pregnant.

Report says the latest number of pregnant girls found in one of the camps in Borno as at last Saturday was 214.

Making this disclosure in Lagos, Executive Director, UNFPA, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, revealed that the organization had taken deliveries of over 16,000 pregnancies in the crisis-ridden North East region.

According to Osotimehin, his organisation had put also in place a formidable team in collaboration with the Federal and state governments, to first restore the dignity of the girls, whom, he said, are currently facing severe psychosocial trauma.

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 the society.

“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.

“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,” he added.