The Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday expressed concern over marginalisation of girls and women in areas affected by conflict in Nigeria.
The Country Director, Isa Sanusi, raised the concern on Thursday in Maiduguri while unveiling a 144 page report on girls survivours of the Boko Haram conflict in North East.
Mr Sanusi said that the human rights organisation had already filed a case before the International Court of Justice at Hague over alleged crime against humanity in the North-east.
“Girls recruited and used by Boko Haram have suffered crimes unique to their gender and age, including forced marriage, restrictions in movement, domestic violence, rape and other forms of sexual violence, forced pregnancy, and torture and other forms of ill-treatment.
“These crimes and other abuses must also be understood in the broader context of structural violence against women and girls in Nigeria.
“They are grounded in historical and pervasive gender inequality, discrimination against, and marginalisation of women and girls.
“Despite constitutional provisions providing for gender equality and discrimination, women and girls are treated subordinate to men and boys in practice and laws,” Sanusi said.
He noted that marital rape is not criminalised, while Statutory laws granted land rights to women but customary norms and practices, among other factors were preventing women from accessing the rights.
“A 2018 study by Nigeria’s National Population Commission found that almost one in three women between 15 and 49 years old experienced physical violence.
“For married women, this violence was commonly perpetrated by their husbands; for unmarried women, the violence was most often inflicted against them by their mothers or stepmothers,” Sanusi said.
NAN
