Gender dynamics in the Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria: a review of internally displaced persons

Abstract

The Nigerian Army's push into the Sambisa forest and other strongholds of ‘Boko Haram’ has 'liberated' many women and children who are now in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps in Northern Nigeria, homeless, jobless and without husbands, some with or without children. The interventions at the local, civil society, Federal government and international donor agencies level, have not done very much to alleviate the suffering of the IDPs. They face severe deprivations and maltreatment and often are forced to resort to sex for food, having no land for farming to augment the camp food, and lacking health information and services, as well as lacking skills and economic opportunities for a better life. There is therefore need for gender sensitive interventions that will recognize needs of women and include specially repackaged information that specifically focuses on their rights. This paper discusses what is currently being done, what advocacy actions are in place and how the Agency theory can be applied to bridge the information gap and use self-identity therapy to help the women and children get over the trauma of incarceration, forced recruitment as weapons of war and other negative activities, more quickly.