Girls on their way to school in Sokoto state in northwest Nigeria. The prevalence of early marriage in the area means that girls have to push to continue their education. Nigerian girls describe a culture of fear where violence is common. In rural Sokoto, koranic and local courts often settle cases of assault and many cases of rape do not meet the standard to qualify: in koranic law, four men must be witnesses to the rape. Despite the barriers for girls, the schools are full and teachers describe the challenges of teaching 150 in each class.
Detail of a flower in a self portrait by Fatima, age 15. She was raped by a relative when she was staying in their house. She told her family, but the rapist has not been prosecuted.
Kindness is 12 years old. She says that violence against girls must stop and she sees the culture of silence changing. “Girls are speaking up,” she says. “Girls should not have to be afraid all the time, worried about being raped.”
Adeola is 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.
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.
The market is a dangerous place for girls in Sokoto. Young girls are sent to the crowded market to hawk food and drinks in a chaotic, male dominated environment. Many girls reported being attacked by regular customers who requested home delivery and then raped them. These attacks are often followed by death threats so most crimes are left unreported and unpunished.
Buky leads a non-profit organization ‘Education as a Vaccine’. While the genesis of the development organization was to combat HIV and AIDS, Buky says the name is equally relevant when talking about violence against girls in Nigeria. Buky studied in the US and started her career there but felt compelled to return home and stand up for girls in her home country. She oversees projects that work to reduce violence against girls by building support and awareness in communities across the country.
“I see him often,” Mary says. “I'm always scared because I remember what he did to me. It makes it hard for me to let go.” 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.
Aisha is a teacher in Sokoto province. She leads a program called Girls for Girls that helps them boost their confidence and articulate their dreams and ambitions. In a community where some leaders still question girls' education and many girls are married as children, Aisha says it’s important to be a role model for girls and give them the courage to aspire for more.
Sokoto
Self portrait by Rahama, 13 years old. She’s 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.
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.
Baale is a community leader in Ikorodu outside of Lagos. He says the number one cause of rape is indecent clothing from girls and women. Number two is poor parenting from parents who don’t educate their girls on how to stay safe. When asked about the men who rape, he says there should zero tolerance and they should be executed. Baale is often the first to be informed about cases of rape in the community and he refers all cases to the police. Sometimes it’s up to him to negotiate a settlement when legal avenues have been exhausted or abandoned by parents of survivors. In a recent case where a girl was gang raped in his community, he says the only solution was to force the family to love elsewhere. Baale says they couldn’t find the ‘boys’ responsible and this was the only way to resolve the matter.
Lagos.
‘A House with Stars’ was written on this drawing by a girl at the school in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state. Every girl knows a story about someone being attacked and they describe the strict instructions they get from their parents to stay safe and stay with their brothers to avoid being attacked.
A woman prays at the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Abakaliki in Ebonyi state. The community has suffered with the epidemic of violence against girls including cases of child rape. The pastor says the church offers support to vulnerable girls who are left with unwanted pregnancies and social stigma. He says it’s critical that churches are central to the response to end violence because it can help change views of community leaders who help identify and report cases of rape in their neigborhoods.
Self portrait by Esther. She is 8 years old and lives in Ebonyi state. Last year, her mother sent her out to get the goat tethered in a nearby field before dinner when she was attacked by a man in the village. He dragged her to his hut and raped her. Even though he threatened her not to tell anyone she immediately told her parents and they took her to the doctor and the police. The rapist is in prison awaiting trial. For Esther and her mother, life is not the same. Her mother has 4 younger children and she’s terrified to let any of them out of her sight. She now juggles the many duties at home along with the work on the farm where they live.
Self portrait of a survivor of child rape, Sokoto.
“Hi, I’m Phoebe and I’m the first Nigerian astronaut,” Phoebe drew this vision of herself in the future when she is able to realize her dreams. Like many girls in Nigeria, she’s frustrated by the violence girls' experience and she wants it to change. She says that by dreaming big, she can help other girls overcome their fear.
Abuja
