While it is a blessing that 234 women were recently rescued by the Nigerian army from the trappings of the terrorist group, Boko Haram— it’s alarming that 214 of those women are now pregnant, according to the International Business Times.
The vast number of female victims abducted by the clan were forced into sexual slavery and trained to fight, among many other horrendous things.
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But thankfully, these expecting mothers are getting the care they need from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which one of few organizations who cater to the needs of women and girls. According to executive director Babatunde Osotimehin, the UNFPA has cared for more than 16,000 pregnancies in Northern Nigeria in the past year. They are looking to provide additional care for the women freed.
“What we found is that some of the women and girls that have come back actually have much more in terms of the stress they have faced, so the counseling has to be more intense and working with them one-on-one,” Osotimehin told Vanguard.
Let’s all hope that these women can get the care they need. – Richy Rosario
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