Humanitarian Situation in Northeast Nigeria (Context)
The humanitarian situation in the northeast states of Nigeria is volatile. According to the humanitarian needs overview (OCHA, June-Sept report, 2021), about 8.47 million people needed humanitarian assistance due to ongoing conflict in the northeast i.e. Borno, Adamawa & Yobe (BAY States). The BAY states are in need of critical, multi-sectorial assistance.10
The well-being of children and women is threatened by multiple protection risks inclusive of early/child marriage, VAWC, family separation, physical and sexual violence, psycho-social distress, and recruitment by non-state armed groups. Limited access to food, sexual and reproductive health information and services, quality education, healthcare, and lack of adequate parental care, particularly for children with disabilities, continues to significantly affect the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of women and children. The COVID-19 pandemic has further weakened the coping capacities of families to provide care for children. Poor households in northeast Nigeria face more difficulties in accessing food as food prices and annual inflation increase, and food availability is expected to decrease. Protection risks are heightened for girls, mainly adolescent girls who are most at risk of sexual violence. As a result of the pandemic, they are also at a high risk of losing out on education opportunities along with denial of realization of other rights.11
The volatile humanitarian situation in north-east Nigeria has caused multiple forms of violence. The long-term research of 40 years conducted by the violence prevention division of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) asserted that experiencing violence has a profound impact on lifelong health, opportunity, and well-being. Individuals exposed to violence are often at higher risk of developing physical and mental health conditions, experiencing other forms of violence, and experiencing educational or job challenges. These significant consequences jeopardize the health and well-being of families and communities and cost society hundreds of billions of dollars in medical care and lost productivity. The guiding principles to prevent violence include Advancing economic, gender, and racial equity; Enhancing positive relationships and environments; Addressing factors that cut across multiple forms of violence; and Prioritizing efforts that create societal and community-level impact.
