Sex trafficking and sex-for-food/money: terrorism and conflict-related sexual violence against men in the Lake Chad region

Gendering Counter-Terrorism: Kunya and the Silencing of Male Victims of CRSV in Northeastern Nigeria

“…A heightening of terrorist activities beginning around 2009 has made the Lake Chad area a hotspot for egregious gender and sexual violence, primarily against kidnapped women and girls who are raped, forced into marriages, and used for labor or even suicide bombings. Abducted young men and boys are forced to join terrorist groups as fighters (UNHCR 2017; Owonikoko et al 2023), but young boys may also be forced to serve as tools of sexual pleasure in terrorist camps (Njoku 2022). Despite a growing awareness of incidents of gender and sexual violence perpetuated against males in the context of conflict in Nigeria, academic understanding of the continued silence of their gendered subjectivities remains limited.…”

“…It is important to note that this study does not claim that there were no male rapes before 2009, when terrorists began their campaign of violence in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region. It does, however, argue that the precarious nature of the area as a result of terrorism, government response, and religious reforms has led to an increase in sexual violence by men in the community, aid workers, terrorists, and security agents against kidnapped women, girls, men, and boys alike (Njoku 2019;Njoku & Akintayo 2021;Njoku & Dery 2021;Njoku 2022). Since 2009, reports from NGOs have indicated an increase in sexual violence against both males and females, which has been dubbed a "rape epidemic" (Amnesty International 2021).…”

“…In 2019, there were reports of the rape of young men and boys by terrorist suspects in detention facilities (Njoku & Dery 2021; Amnesty International 2019). Moreover, during our interviews with staff of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, an organization whose oversight mandate is to facilitate the apprehension of rape perpetrators in northeastern Nigeria, it was revealed that the organization deals with about 20 to 30 cases of CRSV perpetrated against men and boys every month (Njoku et al 2022). The interviews further revealed that these numbers were likely underreported due to the potential sanctions associated with disclosure 2…”

“…In the last few years, debates on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) against men have gained considerable momentum in policy and research. But while some valuable insights on the diverse consequences of CRSV have emerged from the current debates, researchers including Philipp Schulz (2018) and Emeka Njoku et al (2022) maintain that the complex processes through which multiple masculinities are implicated, affected, and refashioned during periods of conflict have not been adequately integrated into much of the theoretical and empirical work. Schulz observes, for instance, that while male victims of rape are perceived as being “stripped” of their manhood, “how exactly the compromising of masculinity unfolds empirically remains poorly understood” (2018:1101).…”

Vulnerability to Sex Trafficking: Adult Women’s Experiences While They Were Adolescents

“…Numerous studies conclude that material inequalities drive people to migrate through risky means that expose them to sex trafficking. The reasoning goes as follows: poverty plays in favor of sex trafficking networks, which exploit the economic vulnerabilities of the poorest to lure them with false promises of a better life and greater economic opportunities [7][8][9][10].…”