‘The perpetrators are with us, who will help us’: Sexual violence and victimisation of young female refugees in Northern Nigeria

This paper explores sexual predation and victimisation of young females in internally displaced person camps in Northern Nigeria. Studies on sexual aggression aggregate the causes and consequences; there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding the co-existence of ‘predators and victims’ in refugee camps in Northern Nigeria. Routine Activity Theory and the Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending provided the theoretical framework. The study was conducted in Benue and Nasarawa states, and Abuja, Nigeria, known for high number of young female refugees. Using an exploratory design and a qualitative methods approach, 6 key informant interviews were conducted with camp officials and 25 in-depth interviews were held with victims of sexual predation. The study revealed that sexual violence was regularly perpetrated by security personnel and male refugees, influenced by poor access to justice and entrenched patriarchal norms that normalise male dominance and control over women’s bodies. A weak support structure, distrust in camp management, and hunger created conditions of extreme vulnerability that silenced victims and normalised sexual violence as a survival mechanism. The study underscores the urgent need for institutional reforms to address underreporting, strengthen accountability mechanisms, and provide comprehensive support for survivors. This research offers a nuanced understanding of how sexual violence in refugee camps produces long-term security risks, as children born from predation, often neglected and marginalised, may become vulnerable to recruitment by insurgent groups in Northern Nigeria.