Awa is a child protection case worker with the state government in Lagos. Her work is extremely challenging and she deals with shocking cases of rape and abuse of young children every day. Awa makes regular visits to the safe houses they support to check up on the girls and see what other support or services they might need.
Mary was raped when she was 15 years old. She never told her parents and endured years of shame and trauma. The rapist threatened her life through a campaign of online intimidation. After 3 years of silence, she’s confided in specialists at a rape crisis center in Lagos and they are helping her build a case and get support. They’ve helped her document the case by saving the Facebook messages sent to her by the rapist. Her attacker is still at large and she has not yet told her parents about what she’s been through.
Khadijah is a lawyer and activist who works to help survivors of violence seek justice. Low-literacy, poverty and entrenched distrust of authorities make it hard for victims of violence to know where to start. Khadijah helps families navigate the confusing legal system and ensures they turn up to give testimony, building the case so more rapists are prosecuted.
Self portrait by Aisha from Sokoto. She’s only 5 and she was raped by a fiend of the family. The family decided not to press charges.
Rashidat Mohammed is a Human Rights Lawyer with a special interest in promoting the rights of women and children.She provides pro-Bono legal services for women and girls who have experienced violence in northwest Nigeria. She also represents vulnerable men and families who can't afford a lawyer and are struggling to get justice in the Nigerian legal system. As a passionate lawyer on human rights issues, she is well known in Sokoto for her outspoken defence of women and girls and her fierce prosecution of rapists and pedophiles. She is the first and only woman to open her own law firm within Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States. In addition to her round the clock work as a lawyer and activist, Rashidat is also a single mother who is the sole caregiver to her 3 children.
Rashidat’s daughter Asmau at their home in Sokoto. Rashidat says that because of the work she does, she insists the children play in the compound instead out in the street. “I know too many stories about neighborhood abuse,” Rashidat says. “Keeping my children safe is always my number one priority.”
Drawing of flowers in a Milo pot by girls at the TKTKTK School in Abuja.
Precious was raped by a neighbor when she was 5 years old. She went to the well less than a kilometer from her house and an older man grabbed her and dragged her into the forest to rape her. It was later found to be a premeditated attack as his wife left him and he had vowed to get sex through violence as she fled. Precious was in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffered from the trauma. Wh9en she collapsed in pain from her injuries she told her parents and they reported it to the police. Two years later, the old man is in prison and trial is still pending but Precious is in school studying to be a nurse.
Faith is a part of an activist group that is working to end female genital mutilation. The women patiently sit with male community leaders and explain the long-term health impacts women suffer as a result of ‘cutting’. They’re starting to change attitudes by getting leaders to speak out and stand with them against this violence. She and her fellow members say that birth control is a critical part of reducing violence against girls, so families aren’t over stretched trying to look after too many children. Faith says that violence against girls will stop when women are valued and included in community leadership roles.
Jessica is 11 years old and lives in a state run orphanage outside Abuja. She was living with her aunt and coping with regular beatings, but one night her aunt took a hot knife from the fire and burned Jessica’s hand. The next day at school she was bleeding badly from multiple wounds and the principal called child services for help. She got immediate medical care and never returned to her aunt's home. Jessica says she wants to stay in the orphanage because she’s well cared for and gets to go to school. She has several scars from the abuse she suffered, including burn marks on her hand. She says she wants to be a lawyer to protect other girls like her.
Self portrait by Adeola. She’s 13 years old and she lives in the semi industrial outskirts of Abuja. She was raped last year by her neighbor and kept quiet because of the threats she received. The rapist sent for her at school and when she didn’t come he threatened to kill her again. Afraid for her life, she obeyed his calls and raped her six times before her aunt noticed her leaving his house. Her parents confronted her and threatened to beat her if she withheld the truth. When she explained, she says she was badly beaten by her father. They pressed charges and the rapist was arrested. He was promptly released on bail. Even though Adeola and her family moved houses, the rapist lives nearby and came to threaten her mother to drop the case. Her mother refused to settle and is pursuing justice in the courts. She says the whole community is ‘mocking’ her daughter and the new landlord has offered money to sleep with Adeola. Her mother is scared to leave her at home and scared to let her out of the house.
Carolyn is an activist working to end violence against women and girls. She set up Girls Voices which empowers girls by teaching them how to make films about their lives and the issues that concern them. Carolyn says violence always comes through as the number one issue for girls around the country. Her organization helps them produce short documentaries and then hosts screenings in communities where violence is endemic. She says the process breaks the silence and each screening is followed by dozens of girls coming forward, eager to share their story and join the movement.
Iwaya market, Lagos
Tunde lives outside Lagos. He’s member of the choir and they regularly perform a series of songs and dances to raise awareness on the issue of violence against girls. The songs celebrate what girls bring to the community and are well loved by audiences in the community. He says it’s important for boys to be part of the movement so leaders don’t see it as a ‘girls issue’.
Self portrait by Shola at a shelter for vulnerable girls in Lagos.. Shola is an orphan who was living on the street before she came to the home. The counsellors say she’s not ready to talk about what happened to her.
Patience is 8 years old. She and her little sister were raped by their pastor. Their mother went to the police and the pastor was arrested. He was released on bail and the congregation believes his denials and they now have turned on Patience and her family. They’ve been forced to leave the community and they’re struggling to find support to help the girls recover. While rape crisis services are better Lagos than other Nigerian cities, the road to justice is still daunting for most families. In a country where nearly 100 million people live in poverty, taking on powerful rapists is difficult for poor families.
Aisha is 13 years old. She went to a traditional healer in her village to get his help. She wanted him to make a potion so she could find a husband. After a long consultation, he told her she needed his sperm to make the formula more potent. He raped her and threatened her not to tell anyone. Now she’s 8 months pregnant. She dropped out of school and her parents have pleaded with the rapist for support. Reluctantly he’s agreed that if the baby is healthy, he’ll take her as another wife. Some rural communities distrust the police and try to settle cases of rape through village negotiation, but for Aisha this could result in having to marry her rapist, or facing a lifetime of stigma and uncertainty.
Hassan works for Hisba, an Islamic law enforcement agency authorized by the state in Sokoto. The group trains volunteers to respond to community issues like child rape. They promptly investigate and then work with government agencies to prosecute rapists. Hassan says peacebuilding is a key part of what they do. They’re often more accessible and trusted than the police, so they facilitate discussions between the perpetrators and the victims to try and negotiate a settlement. Hassan says HISBA is more effective than the courts in finding solutions, but sometimes compromises come at children’s expense, with victims forced to marry their rapist attackers.
Sokoto
Grace was on her way home from her sister's wedding when a family friend offered her a ride on his motorbike. She declined, but he insisted so she reluctantly accepted. He didn’t take her home but drove instead to a local primary school where his friend was waiting. The two men took turns raping her and she blacked out. Security guards caught the men and held them at gunpoint while they called the police. Grace was so badly injured that she was in hospital for over a month. The trial is ongoing and she’s back in school. The rapists are in prison while the legal process drags on. She says she forgives them and doesn’t mind if they are released so long as she can get on with her life. She’s 15 years old.
Eze south, Ebonyi state.
Doctor Chidi works at the public hospital in Eze South in Ebonyi state. He treats several victims of child rape every month and he says the numbers have been rising. While part of it is better awareness, he thinks there are also more rapes happening. He says the medical report is an essential piece of evidence to help prosecutors get convictions and he’s meticulous in getting the forms right, as one omission could derail the case. He’s often called to testify in rape trials and he’s frustrated by defense attorneys questioning his reports. Doctor Chidi says the medical evidence is impartial and if recorded properly, is undeniable.
Rahama is 13 years old and the mother of a 1 year old boy. She was raped by a neighbor who had powerful friends. She was terrified he would kill her if she told anyone but when her family found out she was pregnant they reported the crime to the police. They were encouraged to settle the case and initially they had no success seeking justice. A pro bono lawyer took on Rahama’s case and finally got the rapist arrested and behind bars. Rahama says she doesn’t like her baby as it reminds her of what happened. She wants to go back to school and become a lawyer.
Isa was selling bean cake at the market in sokoto when she was attacked from behind, bound and blindfolded. She was taken to a house and brutally raped for days. She was found unconscious on the streets and was hospitalized for 4 months to recover. She lives with her aunt who struggles to make ends meet. Isa’a injuries required numerous surgeries and her aunt sold everything they owned to pay for them. Isa is unable to identify the rapist and he remains at large. She hopes to return to school someday but she’s still recovering from her horrific ordeal.
Joy is a case worker at Mirabel rape crisis centre in Lagos. She’s on the frontline of the violence epidemic in Nigeria and helps families and survivors coping with unimaginable trauma. The day we visited, Joy was helping the mother of two girls, age 6 and 7. They’d been raped by the landlord's son only two weeks before. Joy helps the family through the byzantin legal process but also supports the children with critical services. At this vulnerable time, The family is being evicted after reporting the son for rape. Joy is helping them find a new place and encouraging the mother not to give up on pushing for justice.
Self portrait by Mercy, who’s just 6 years old. Late last year, the neighbor invited her and her older sister to his home for Christmas cake. He raped them both and threatened them not to tell or he’d kill them. Their mother saw their injuries and called the police. The rapist is the landlord's son and when he was arrested, and then released on bail, Mercy and her family were evicted. They are now in a new place and new school and their mother is getting support to pursue the case in the courts.
Gerard leads the parent teacher association in ikorogu outside Lagos. He says violence against girls is out of control in their community and he is pushing the association play and active part in the solution. Gerard says it’s important for parents to play an active role in the schools and in their children’s lives so they can protect them. But Gerard says that itinerant families, single mothers and the erosion of social norms is driving a spike in cases of rape. He encourages a dialogue with teachers and other parents to break the silence and take action on solutions.
Jacinta was helping her grandmother by minding her informal store while she went to the market. An older man came and bought some tobacco and homemade gin, but when Jacinta went into the house to get a pen and calculate what he owed, he followed her inside. He threw her on the bed and tried to rape her. He violently assaulted her and injured her badly. She screamed but everyone was at the market. Eventually he left, and she immediately told her parents and they went to the police. Despite a depressingly low rate of reporting and conviction in Nigeria, Jacinta's case has been well handled and her attacker is behind bars. A quiet day at her grandmother's house turned into a nightmare, but she’s moving on and hoping to go back to school soon. She’s planning on becoming a lawyer so she can protect other girls and help bring more rapists to justice.
Aja Nwachukwu is a barrister in Abakaliki in southeast Nigeria. She’s the public prosecutor going after paedophiles in a region where there’s an epidemic of gender based violence and child rape. She has to build a solid case and push the legal system to move with more urgency for justice and tougher sentencing. She’s successfully convicted 26 men in the last 15 years and never lost a case.
Sokoto
Asst Commandant Christy Umejiaku is the gender specialist with the civil defense in Sokoto state. She’s one of a handful of officers who’ve received training on how to protect victims and put children’s needs first when investigating rape cases. Christy says the training has helped her be more effective in her work and she now trains her fellow officers to share the knowledge and techniques. Civil defense is one of three law enforcement agencies that gets called when rapes occur in Sokoto, and it is seen by some as a way to seek justice while avoiding police bureaucracy.
Fatima was 12 when she was raped by her neighbor When her new husband found out she was arrested for adultery and her family had to pay a fine to have her released. She was pregnant with the rapist’s child and gave birth. Fatima had a mental breakdown and tries to harm herself and her family. Unable to leave the home and worried for her own safety, her family had taken to tying her leg to a tree or a stool. Without adequate counselling services available, Fatima’s future is uncertain. Case workers are aware of the issues and are working to increase support for her and many girls like her.
Sokoto