Global Rights, a prominent human rights advocacy group, has raised the alarm over the disturbing surge in sexual violence within Nigeria’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, describing the crisis as a growing human rights violation.
Following a field investigation in April 2025, the organisation revealed that camps across Borno, Adamawa, and the Federal Capital Territory have become hotspots for sexual abuse, especially due to overcrowded and poorly managed shelters.
It said these camps, originally intended as safe havens for over three million people fleeing conflict, insecurity, and climate disasters, have instead become sites of exploitation and trauma.
THEY TRADE OUR BODIES FOR FOOD, A SURVIVOR CONFESSED TO GLOBAL RIGHTS OFFICIALS.
In its report spanning 10 IDP camps, Global Rights found a recurring pattern of systemic abuse, underscoring the desperation and power imbalance that fuels these abuses.
According to the organisation, perpetrators, it says, are not faceless criminals, but security officers, aid workers, camp managers, and even fellow displaced persons.
And warned that justice remains heartbreakingly out of reach as victims are silently eaten up by their own shadows.
GIRLS ARE ATTACKED WHILE FETCHING WATER. PREGNANT WOMEN ARE BEATEN INTO SILENCE. SURVIVORS ARE FORCED TO DEPEND ON THEIR ABUSERS FOR BASIC SURVIVAL, THE GROUP SAID.
Global Rights is now calling for swift, coordinated action by the Nigerian government, humanitarian agencies, and international partners to investigate, prosecute offenders, and provide meaningful support to survivors.
THIS IS NOT MERELY A HUMANITARIAN CONCERN, THE GROUP WARNED.
IT IS A BRUTAL FAILURE OF HUMAN RIGHTS, AND IT MUST BE STOPPED.
Credit: QualityTV
