UN Asks FG To Ease Abortion Laws For BH Rape Victims.

The UN has appealed to the federal government to ease abortion restrictions for women and girls who had been sexually abused and forced into so-called “marriages” by Boko Haram terrorists.

The Punch reports that Zeid Al-Hussein, the UN human rights chief, appealed to the Nigerian authorities on June 30, Tuesday, In New York.

Al-Hussein and the human rights council on Boko Haram’s rights violations and abuses were discussing the findings of a 12-member team from Cameroon, southern Niger and the north-eastern regions of Nigeria on Boko Haram.

According to the rights group chief, the interviews had confirmed that during their captivity lasting for months or even years, women and girls were sexually enslaved, raped and forced into marriages. Therefore, many of these women are now pregnant for their rapists.

Al-Hussein also drew attention to the situation that some women and girls want to terminate their unwanted pregnancies.

“I note that abortion is legal in Nigeria only when the life of the woman is at risk. Human rights mechanisms have consistently called for ensuring access to safe abortion services beyond the protection of the woman’s life, including in cases of rape, and to preserve the health of the woman,” he said.

However, the UN human rights chief called on the government to rethink over the abortion law.

“Taking this into account, I strongly urge the most compassionate possible interpretation of the current regulations in Nigeria to include the risk of suicide and risks to mental health for women and young girls, who have suffered such appalling cruelty.”

It is worth mentioning that 22 women and girls recruited as would-be suicide bombers by Boko Haram Islamists are currently undergoing rehabilitation.