From JOE Hemba
Not fewer than 6000 victims of Boko Haram insurgency from Yobe State have received psycho-social support from International Alert, a non-governmental organisation.
The support which was carried out as a result of the protracted Boko haram insurgency in the state and the northeast region had three beneficiary local governments including Gujba, Potiskum and Damaturu local government areas.
Yobe State Project Manager of International Alert, Williams Ubimago, disclosed this to journalists in Damaturu penultimate week at a meeting of the Validation of Draft Joint Community Action Plan and White Paper for Integration of the program in the state.
Explaining the methodology of the project, Mr. Willam said the exercise was carried-out through community dialogue, support sessions for women and girls, multi stakeholders’ dialogue and family support sessions.
He added that those who benefited from the project were basically children and women who were abducted and sexually abused by Boko Haram, stressing that, “the objective of the NGO was to eradicate the stigmatisation of the victims and ensure they were fully integrated into their communities”.
His words: “There are various challenges encountered by the victims upon returning to their communities.
“In Gujba, for instance, we have heard of women and children who either escaped or were rescued from Boko Haram by the military.
“Upon return to their communities, the community chased them back to the bush because they accused them of subscribing to the Boko Haram ideology.
“So how can community members reject their loved ones who are not the architects of their misfortune?
“Therefore this workshop is aimed at communicating with policymakers to have a policy framework such that survivors are not discriminated, stigmatized or chased from their communities,” he explained.
The Project Manager praised the cooperation the project has received from the state government as well as traditional rulers and religious leaders since their operations in the state in the last two years.
Some of the religious leaders at the workshop commended the commitment of International Alert in her attempt to integrate victims of insurgency back to their communities.
“Some of these people were forced to join Boko Haram, some of the women were also forcefully taken away and made wives of these insurgents. If we reject them now, where would they run to?
“We commend this organisation(Alert) for working hard to educate our people and also the victims of how they can live together again,” Imam Goni, one of the clerics said.
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