Amnesty International’s June 2025 report reveals that girls who escaped Boko Haram captivity in northeast Nigeria continue to be failed by government inaction. Many testimonies describe the lack of identification and support for young women and girls who were forced into child marriage and/or trafficking. The security forces also failed to take the necessary steps to provide the children they encountered with proper care, which violates the protocol signed between the Nigerian government and the United Nations in 2022.
There are also many accounts of women and girls experiencing starvation and homelessness but have no support from the government as the societal expectation is that survivors need to establish their survival by themselves. Although the #EmpowerOurGirls campaign provided hope, it is evident that survivors, some as young as 12, still are not being providing with counseling, education, or livelihood support to reintegrate back into society. In response to this situation, Amnesty is urging the Nigerian government to fulfill its legal obligations by providing urgent reintegration support, including mental health care, education, and vocational training.
Compiled from: “Nigeria: Girl survivors of Boko Haram still being failed by government inaction – new testimony,” Amnesty International, June 10, 2025.