Surviving pain and fear: Womens harrowing tales from camps in Benue, Nigeria

Iyua, Dooshima, Shiana and Seember are just four among thousands of women and girls living in camps in Benue state who have survived sexual violence. Without preventive action, MSF warns that the risks for women will continue to escalate. 

“It is important to highlight that the social environment is not getting better,” says Resit Elcin, MSF project coordinator in Nigeria. “There is a lack of livelihood options for displaced people, particularly for women, and protection and prevention efforts are barely in place. The situation is not improving.

“Survivors of sexual violence, both in Benue state and across Nigeria, deserve access to free-of-charge and quality medical care and mental health support,” says Elcin.

“Women and girls need access to services including safe housing and emergency shelter, legal assistance, and livelihood and financial support. The key to preventing sexual violence is to address people’s humanitarian needs and ensure that vulnerable people are safe within the camps,” he says. 

“Humanitarian and development organisations, both local and international, must work alongside the Nigerian authorities to ensure that medical and psychological support is freely available to survivors of sexual violence in Benue state and, more broadly, to support displaced communities regain their dignity and control over their lives,” he says.
 

*Names changed to protect patients’ identities