I interviewed a Boko Haram sex slave who was strapped to a bomb. Here is why the world must stop ignoring these forgotten women
A Daily Mail reporter recounts interviewing a woman held captive by Boko Haram in Nigeria who was forced to become a "sex slave" and was at one point strapped with explosives, using her testimony to argue that women victimised by the jihadist group have been largely forgotten by the international community. The piece frames the interview as part of a wider call for greater attention and support for women who have survived Boko Haram's campaign of abduction, sexual violence and forced suicide bombings in north-east Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region.
The article draws on the woman's personal account of being abducted, sexually abused and coerced into wearing a bomb, using her experience to illustrate the broader plight of thousands of women and girls kidnapped or exploited by Boko Haram since the insurgency began, including the group's well-documented use of female suicide bombers. The reporter argues these women remain largely overlooked by global media and policymakers, calling for renewed international focus on their plight and access to support and rehabilitation.
- Reporter interviews a Boko Haram sex-slave survivor forced to wear a bomb.
- Piece highlights neglect of women victimised by the Nigerian jihadist group.
- Calls for greater international attention and support for these survivors.
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Nigeria's north-east has been fighting Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group, since 2009. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and forced millions from their homes around Lake Chad, an area spanning parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Boko Haram has become known for abducting women and girls, most infamously the 276 schoolgirls taken from Chibok in 2014, and for forcing captives into sexual slavery or using them as suicide bombers.
Many women who survive captivity face a difficult return to civilian life. Communities sometimes view them with suspicion because of their association with the group, and access to medical care, counselling and financial support is often limited. Aid organisations and researchers have long argued that these survivors receive comparatively little attention from international media and donors compared with other aspects of the conflict.
This piece is a first-hand account by a journalist who met one such survivor, using her story to highlight the wider, largely unaddressed needs of women affected by the insurgency.