UN experts are warning of a heightened risk against Christian women and girls in Nigeria.
In a formal communication to the Nigerian government the Special Rapporteurs say they have “grave concerns over alarming reports of human rights violations by armed military and political groups in northern and central Nigeria” which is “disproportionately affecting Christians and particularly women and girls, among other religious or belief communities”.
The communication comes as armed militant groups continue to terrorise local populations in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt through targeted violence. Despite growing international scrutiny and well-documented allegations of grave human rights violations, Nigerian authorities have failed to adequately protect civilians and bring perpetrators to justice.
The UN experts cited the elevated risk of religiously-motivated attacks by radical Islamist militias and an increased threat of sexual violence against women and girls, forced conversion, abduction and child marriage. Some are also attacked for rejecting a forced marriage arrangement. Christian women and girls are said to be especially vulnerable within camps for internally displaced persons.
Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women and Girls told Premier Christian News more about the communication: “We expressed severe concern about the reports that we continue to receive about the killing, the abduction, forced conversion, forced marriage, and sexual violence being inflicted on primarily Christian women and girls, but also those belonging to other minority groups. This violence is being perpetrated by a number of extremist armed groups like the Boko Haram, the Islamic State of West Africa province, and then also some radicalized herdsmen involved in the farmer-herder conflict.”
Reem Alsalem acknowledged that the Nigerian government had made some progress in combating violence against women and girls in general, but that “the truth remains that of the number of Christians killed around the world, many are killed in Nigeria, so the percentage is very high.
“It's a combination of unwillingness, but also inability to protect the Christian communities, and also to enforce protections at state level.
“They have the duty to first of all protect the right of freedom of religion and belief, but also the right to life, to protect also women and girls against violence, to protect religious worship houses, because we know that many churches are also being attacked. They also need to work within this freedom of religion issue on the issue of forced conversions, which unfortunately continues to happen, and the accusations of blasphemy. These are all things that the Nigerian authorities have to really get a grip on.”
They also noted the enforcement of blasphemy codes and local interpretations of Sharia law in certain constituent states as contributing factors in violence against non-Muslims.
Giorgio Mazzoli, Director of UN Advocacy at ADF International said “For too long, the international community has remained largely silent as this crisis has deepened. The joint communication from five UN mechanisms is a significant and welcome step towards ensuring that these violations receive international attention, and that their root causes –including discriminatory legal frameworks – are fully addressed”.
The full text of the communication will be made publicly available at the end of the 60-day response window granted to the Nigerian government.