Chibok Girls, unwanted pregnancy and the VAPP Bill

FRom several perspectives, the abduction of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, can  largely be described as a major cog in the wheel of progress for the girl child, in terms of education, health and overall wellbeing.
A screengrab taken on May 12, 2014, from a video of Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram obtained by AFP shows girls, wearing the full-length hijab and praying in an undisclosed rural location. Boko Haram released a new video on claiming to show the missing Nigerian schoolgirls, alleging they had converted to Islam and would not be released until all militant prisoners were freed. A total of 276 girls were abducted on April 14 from the northeastern town of Chibok, in Borno state, which has a sizeable Christian community. Some 223 are still missing.

Ahead of the girls’ anticipated release, the coalition of reproductive health partners has set in motion machinery to provide psychosocial, physiological and even psychiatric  support and services to cater for their rehabilitation and reintegration into the community. However, no one is in doubt about the indelible scars of their traumatic experience.

Sexual and reproductive health: One of the main concerns  being expressed in different circles about the welfare of the abducted girls  is their  sexual and reproductive health.