Women and Children Affairs Activist, Ireti Bakare-Yusuf says women and children affected by violence and insurgency in Nigeria remain largely forgotten, with no coordinated long term strategy for their healing, protection and reintegration.
Speaking on ARISE News on Sunday, Bakare-Yusuf criticised the Nigerian state for failing to centre women, girls and children in responses to conflict, despite being the most affected.
“Nigeria is particularly cruel to the vulnerable children. We have to admit it to ourselves. Because admitting you have a problem is the first place that you go to solve it,” she said.
She thanked ARISE News for focusing attention on survivors, describing it as a neglected aspect of the country’s security crisis.
“It’s so critically important. When I say thank you, I mean thank you. Because it’s the part that’s been forgotten, that nobody has spoken about,” she said.
Bakare-Yusuf noted that while national attention often focuses on attacks and casualties, little is said about how conflict uniquely impacts women and children.
“What we haven’t had is anybody talking about how this affects women, girls and children. Because fundamentally, they are often the ones who are uniquely affected,” she said.
Drawing comparisons with the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, she said global outrage did not translate into sustainable solutions.
“What you didn’t have, you didn’t have a coordinated and long-term strategy,” she said.
She stressed that survivors of violence are often reduced to statistics, with little attention paid to trauma and healing.
“Nobody’s looking at the violence, the psychosocial, the psychological, the trauma and that therapy,” she said, adding, “We must look at them as survivors as well. We can’t just be looking at them as victims.”
Bakare-Yusuf highlighted past efforts by mental health professionals such as Dr Fatima Akilu, who worked extensively with women affected by conflict.
“You had the likes of Dr Fatima Akilu, who specialised in the therapy, actually designing therapy workshops, community based initiatives and treatment and healing for these survivors,” she said, noting that “she worked with something like 30,000 women on healing therapy, psychosocial, psychological and all of that stuff.”
She criticised the current leadership of institutions responsible for women and children, questioning their visibility and action.
“Where is the current Minister of Women’s Affairs, Dr Imaan Ibrahim? Incidentally, I had to check her name this morning. That’s how invisible she is,” she said.
Bakare-Yusuf also questioned the absence of coordinated work between the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, stressing that government responsibility goes beyond justice.
“Government fundamentally is also responsible for ensuring not just justice for these women, but the psychosocial therapy, the repairing, the healing, the support,” she said.
On children, she said Nigeria lacks clear support systems for those drawn into violence or exploitation.
“Not that I’m aware of, actually. Children are often forgotten,” she said.
She warned that terrorist groups actively recruit children, often using hunger as leverage.
“Boko Haram is actually engaging and kidnapping children, turning them into soldiers,” she said, adding that children are also trafficked and forced into begging. “Nobody’s looking at the face of that child and wondering, how did you get here?”
Bakare-Yusuf rejected the argument that government failures stem from being overwhelmed, insisting that institutions exist precisely to respond to such crises.
“Government is not just one building. Government is institutions,” she said.
She further blamed the collapse of local government systems for worsening conditions for women and children.
“Incredibly significant,” she said of local government failure. “One of the factors in healing strategy is community based initiatives, and that is local government.”
She questioned the accountability of local government officials, asking, “Why are we not calling out these local government chairmen?”
According to her, the destruction of basic infrastructure has disproportionate consequences for women and children.
“When you destroy schools, hospitals, markets, by and large, you affect women. And when you affect women, you affect the children,” she said.
Turning to the crisis in Kwara State, Bakare-Yusuf urged authorities to act immediately on trauma management and rehabilitation.
“If the government can still find the number for the likes of Dr Fatima Akilu, call her, beg her, tell her to come and help you to actually design a strategy for healing, reparation,” she said.
She called on governors to work with commissioners of health, women’s affairs commissions, psychologists and trauma experts, stressing the need for urgent coordination.
“Find the experts, the psychologists, the trauma experts within your state and get them working,” she said.
Bakare-Yusuf also warned against over reliance on military presence in civilian spaces, calling for policing that is closer to communities.
“Bringing more female police officers, because the police are supposed to be the security that’s closest to the people, not the military,” she said.
She cautioned that continued displacement into camps without long term planning risks worsening insecurity.
“If you keep pushing people into IDP camps, you are literally creating another market for terrorism,” she said.
Bakare-Yusuf concluded by calling for a standardised, proactive response framework across states.
“By now, there should be a plug and play strategy. This is what we do immediately,” she said.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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