ICC Note: Imagine being rescued from the clutches of evil men, only to be rejected by your family when you return home. That’s the experience for several women and girls who had been abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria, many of whom return pregnant because of the sexual abuse they’ve faced at the hands of their captors. Boko Haram kidnaps women, girls and boys alike, both from Christian and Muslim backgrounds, but has specifically targeted Christian girls for this kind of torture so they can create new Muslims to follow their radicalized sect, both through forced conversion, or conception by rape.

By Dionne Searcey

2/17/16 Nigeria (NYT) – A new crisis is emerging as the Nigerian military liberates droves of women and girls from their Boko Haram captors: Many of the newly freed are being rejected when they return to their communities, according to a report released Tuesday.

The women and girls, many of whom were raped by militants, have been labeled “annoba,” which means epidemics, or “Boko Haram wives,” according to the report from International Alert, a peace-building group, and Unicef. Some community members worry that they have been radicalized by Boko Haram and might try to recruit others to fight with the militant group, which has been terrorizing northern Nigeria for years.

“There is a fear that if the needs of these survivors and returning populations are not met, these factors could add another dimension to an already complex conflict situation in northeast Nigeria,” said Kimairis Toogood, an adviser for International Alert in Nigeria.

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