Group flays child abuse in North-East

A rights group, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, has said warring parties in North-East Nigeria have subjected boys and girls to forced recruitment, detention, attacks at school, abductions, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.

The report, entitled ‘Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict: Call for Action to Protect Children in Nigeria,’ released recently, said the scale of the violations called for urgent action from the Nigerian government, the United Nations and other child protection actors.

The 64-page report, which detailed grave violations by some parties to the insurgency in the area since December 2012, provided recommendations on how to better protect children during the crisis.

Researcher at Watchlist, Janine Morna, said in the report, “While the abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok, Borno State, has shed some light on how children are affected by the conflict in the North-East, most abuses are still poorly documented, understood and addressed by key actors.”

Watchlist specifically identified forced recruitment of children for spying and assistance during armed attacks by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, and the vigilante group, Civilian Joint Task Force, as one of the vices against children.