Since January 2014, 117 children, over 80 % of them girls, were used in suicide attacks in Nigeria, Niger, Chad & Cameroon.

Direct Link to Full 13-Page 2017 UNICEF Report: SILENT SHAME – BRINGING OUT VOICES OF CHILDREN CAUGHT IN THE LAKE CHAD CRISIS

https://www.unicef.org/wcaro/nigeriaregionalcrisis/UNICEF_Silent_shame.pdf

Lake Chad Region of Report Reference:

It has been three years since the world was outraged by the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014. Since then, the conflict in the Lake Chad Basin has deteriorated. The Chibok girls – and thousands of other children – have endured unimaginable horrors in captivity by Boko Haram. Across the region, many children who have escaped or been liberated are now trying to rebuild their shattered lives against deep distrust of anyone associated with the insurgency.

With the conflict now in its eighth year, families have gone through years of violence, loss and hardship in camps or host communities, and they have watched their children languish out of school and suffer from illness and malnutrition. This crisis is marked by massive violations of children’s rights – evident in the use of children on both sides of the insurgency. Boko Haram, in particular, has been leading a systematic campaign of abduction that has forced thousands of girls and boys into their ranks. Local militias, formed to protect their communities, have played a key role in stemming the tide of Boko Haram violence, but they too have used children in their operations.

A defining feature of this conflict has been the increasing use of children in so-called ‘suicide’ attacks. Since 2014, 117 children have been used in attacks across all four countries in the crisis – 27 since the start of 2017.

As the world marks three years since the abduction of the Chibok girls, it is an opportunity to reflect on the wider implications for children in this crisis. While the abductions in Chibok horrified the world, a shocking part of the story is what happens to children in captivity – and after they are released.