Home > Women and children fleeing Boko Haram: their experiences in Nigerian cities
Author(s):
Aliyu Barau
Publisher:
International Institute for Environment and Development
Pages:
4
Year:
2017
Focus country:
Nigeria
The Boko Haram insurgency has engulfed many parts of Northern Nigeria since 2010. About 2 million people have fled into urban areas around crisis zones. However, barely 10 per cent of these internally displaced people (IDPs) are sheltered in formal humanitarian camps. The vast majority live on their own, facing difficulties in accessing food, education, healthcare and shelter. Harassment and stigmatization exacerbate their suffering in urban areas. This study explored IDPs’ desperate situations in the major urban areas of Kano and Maiduguri, focusing on women and children. Fragmentation and inter-agency rivalry have crippled local intervention programmes, and protection for displaced people urgently needs to be strengthened through institutional reforms and collaborative problem solving.