ABSTRACT
The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria records the worst cases of violence Nigeria has encountered in her history. This Islamist emerged as a result of their aversion towards education and all things that stand for westernization basically. One of the problems that came with their acts of terror was the resort to sexual violence against women and young girls in the northern region of Nigeria. Cases of sexual slavery, abductions, rape, inhuman and degrading treatment, forced marriages and pregnancies, have been recorded since the emergence of the group. The abduction of over 200 Chibok girls by these insurgents was the climax of their activities against women in Nigeria. It can be said that they resorted to this as a method of warfare in order to get the government’s attention or to achieve some political aim.
The international community has, over the years, created more awareness on this issue of sexual violence being a practice of war or being used as a method of warfare and has made laws to prohibit the act from being carried out by both State and non-State actors. however, these laws will remain dead letter in the face of improper implementation and prosecution of offenders. More so, where the victim State pays no mind to the provision of IHL and international criminal laws and human rights laws, then a problem will arise.
This paper seeks to examine the damage done by the insurgents in Nigeria, the legal framework for sexual violence and the degree to which these laws have aided in suppressing the commission of this inhumane act against women, and to proffer workable solutions that will aid in not just breaking the silence but breaking the cycle of sexual violence being committed in aimed conflicts.
