The
kidnap and enslavement of over 234 school girls from Chibok, an act so
brutal it shocks the imagination and mocks any notion of human decency,
is still in full swing. It has been two months of unfathomable horrors
since they were kidnapped; two months in which we have read and observed
several gory accounts of the hapless girls being shepherded to hidden
swathes of west and central Africa, humiliated in propaganda videos,
forced to convert to Islam, and stripped of their humanity and dignity.
The
#bringbackourgirls social media campaign has moved on; but the problem
has not been solved. The girls have not been rescued, and their plight
seems to have been forgotten. Indeed, the kidnapped girls have every
cause to feel abandoned by the world. If we can forget them in
captivity, what evidence is there to suggest that they would not be
abandoned and forgotten when released from captivity? Where are the
strategies and plans to provide them with the empathy, compassion,
support and sense of security they need to move on with their lives?
As
we have said before, this kind of violence is an affront to the body,
soul, and dignity of every human being. But the issue here is not only
about bringing the girls back physically. We have to bring back their
humanity, their self-esteem, their emotional stability, their belief in a
just and fair world, and their psychological balance.
For
women, the victimization often goes beyond the physical abuse. Women
who are victims of sexual abuse are often held in shame. They lose
social regard and are treated like outcasts. And in most conservative
communities, they are treated like spoiled goods, unfit to marry or have
children. Not only do they face discrimination and stigma in the
foreseeable future, but poverty and lack of opportunities may force many
into prostitution or suicide.
This
is perhaps the nightmarish fate that awaits the girls of Chibok if they
are rescued from the kidnappers. The prospect of a normal life is
improbable. Beyond the physical and psychological trauma, which would
not be easy to recover from, there is also the substantial weight of
negative perception that will follow them back to the communities they
live in. The perception goes beyond the fact that their virtue has been
stolen and points to the likelihood that the girls may not have a
dignified re-entry into society. It then becomes imperative to make
plans on how to re-integrate the girls into society, for what would be a
tough life going forward.
