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tips16 · 3 years

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Education Helps Hadija And Mustafa To Look To The Future

Education helps Hadija and Mustafa to look to the future. Children receive peer education as part of psychosocial support provided by vulnerable, unknown and isolated partners affected by the crisis in Northeast Nigeria by UNICEF, the Nigerian government and other partners. Mustafa loves to meet his friends, as he now calls him home. After his home was destroyed by Boko Haram militants, his grandfather and later his father killed his mother and brothers when he returned from his store to save things. When Mustafa, who is now 12 years old, arrived at the camp, he had nightmares. A strange mixture of dreams of his father chasing him and trying to kill him, a clear sign of the trauma he has suffered. The school has provided an outlet for Mustafa and his young friends, who have experienced terrible violence at the hands of Boko Haram. But the conflict in northeast Nigeria is a complication that is a traditional response to the needs of displaced people, especially children like Mustafa. Who do not work. A child stands in front of a construction; Ding, looking at the camera. Mustafa's mother says that if she wants to do something in this world, she needs an education. Displaced children need more than reading and writing. Since the beginning of the conflict in 2009, Boko Haram insurgents have committed horrific incidents of violence. More than 2.3 million people have been displaced from their homes, most of them children. Aside from the everyday threats of conflict, children are highly vulnerable to the recruitment and use of the armed forces and are suffering the most brutal effects of violent tactics. This shows how difficult it is to protect the children in this area and help them with rehabilitation after they have managed to escape. Hadija's mother is one of the parents who tries to protect her children in case of such violence. She is forced to flee with her daughter after Boko Haram invades her home and kills her husband. After the attack, they managed to reach Muna Garage, a camp for people displaced by the conflict. We had a peaceful life before Boko Haram. One day they turned around and started killing people. We were in trouble, I didn't like seeing my daughter outside of school. Boko Haram attacked her Hadija village and her mother escaped to the Muna Garage camp. Where Hadija was finally able to return to school. Boko Haram attacked her Hadija village and her mother fled to Muna Garage camp. Finally, Hadija was reunited. Once they got to the camp and recovered from the immediate trauma of her orgy, Hadija's mother went straight to have her daughter admitted to the school. School has become a fundamental force in her life and Hadija is a star student. I'm so proud when I see him put on his uniform in the morning, her mother says, smiling. "Her At night she sits next to me and she does her homework. Getting children like Mustafa and Hadija back to school means that they can become part of the fabric and safety of their lives. In addition to daily classes, their dedicated teachers use games and craft activities to help them understand what has happened and allow them to think ahead. Hadija dreams of becoming a doctor and leaving the trauma of her experience behind. Mustafa's approach to her is more philosophical: she believes that education will be a means to bring peace to Nigeria. Patrick Rose is a crisis communications specialist with UNICEF's West and Central Africa Regional Office, covering emergencies in the region, including the Lake Chad basin. As the scorching heat of the desert sun begins to subside, children of all ages gather to lose themselves in the drums of the beautiful game. For a few hours, almost everyone forgets. As the black and white ball swirls in a small cloud of dust across the cold sand. For a moment, the sheer reality of these children is that they were persecuted, as they were taken from their homes in Nigeria by the armed group Boko Haram. Who lifted them off their shoulders. For many, their family and friends have been killed before their eyes. Some people have lost their parents in the chaos and are now alone in this refugee camp. A child-friendly place supported by UNICEF is where I met Peter, a 15-year-old boy who is small for his age, but with a great personality. They call me Neymar, he says smiling, and then he gestures to the boy next to him and says happily: And this is my friend Mohammed, they call him Messi. This must be true, as he is wearing what is arguably the most popular shirt in Africa. A maroon and blue Barcelona jersey with Messi's jersey on the back. Mohammed and Peter are more than good friends; They are like brothers, indivisible. They live in the same store, go to school together, bring water together, cook together, and most importantly, play soccer together. They are also here without their families. In the chaos of Boko Haram's attacks on their villages, the two were separated from their parents and siblings. There are 126 other children separated and missing in the camp. Peter disapproves of his fateful trip to Nigeria and does so almost in a disconnected way: in January, he went fishing with a family friend while the rest of his family members were in the city of Maiduguri. Around 4:00 pm, he woke up with gunfire and fled with his neighbors, while Boko Haram killed them. They ran towards Baga hoping to be safe, but only found themselves fleeing again with Boko Haram. From Baga, they fled to the Duero, where they boarded a ship that eventually brought them to Nagouba, which a few weeks later would become the scene of the first Boko Haram attack on Chadian soil. Many children who come here show signs of trauma because they witness violence. They don't eat or sleep, and some don't talk about it, said UNICEF Chief of the Field Office, Dr Baga Sola. Claude Nababu says. Through the Child Friendly Space, community activists begin mentoring children and providing them with a safe place to talk about their experiences. They play board games and sports like soccer and volleyball. Community activists help children reconnect with their families. Through this program, Peter's family was traced to Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria. I called them. They are very happy that I am here in Dar es Salaam, because they did not kill me. Peter now talks regularly with his family and hopes to meet them soon. I miss them and I'm not happy right now, he says. By the grace of God, I will come back and see you. But the continuing violence and insecurity in the lake region means this meeting will have to wait. Meanwhile, Peter attends the newly opened temporary teaching space at the camp. He is one of the few students to have received any form of formal education, despite a sporadic five years of schooling. Most of the students have attended Korean school only or have never entered the school class. Schools and health clinics are few and far between in the Lake Chad region, and roads are almost non-existent. Even at the age of 15, Peter is very clear about his life options and explains to me that, although he wants to go see his family. He also wants to finish school here, due to the violence that it makes it easier. no more poverty. Peter and Mohammed start preparing their dinner as the sun begins to set. "I can cook," he says proudly, showing each of the ingredients that he would mix over a small heat in a pot: rice, flour, a few pieces of red onion, a little oil and a cube of Maggi broth. We fall asleep after dinner, then we get up and go to school," says Peter. "That's it." For this aspiring soccer star, that she beat the odds and made it to safety through the most violent experience, a boy whose childhood is gone forever, but still wakes up and attends school and his remarkable journey will end here. So I choose not to believe it. Halima * has had ten hours of work. Her contractions are regular and increasing. She is in great pain, but does not make a sound; Only her face shows the problems she's going through. Her husband was shot dead when the armed group known as 'Boko Haram'. Halima, who was already pregnant, was held captive for seven months. She was sheltered in the Dalori IDP camp after the Nigerian Armed Forces rescued her two months ago, along with more than 15,000 people uprooted by the conflict in northeast Nigeria. People from a community of UNICEF volunteers who went from store to store persuaded Halima to come to the clinic, where she sought medical advice. She then she returned for regular prenatal checkups. She headed to the clinic as soon as she started labor. Halima was immediately cared for by a midwife, a traditional midwife and a nurse, Ruth. Now Ruth examines her and she's ready. After a few more contractions, Halima gives birth to a beautiful baby girl, who weighs 3 kg. The child cries something and immediately begins to suck his thumb. There is joy in the room and Halima smiles. She and her baby are cleaned and breastfeeding begins. Ruth would later say that she was concerned that Halima's last delivery might be high risk. Despite the difficulties associated with displaced camps. The baby has a good chance of survival thanks to her care. She will soon be undergoing her regular vaccinations. While Halima continues to receive care until she recovers. Halima has just given birth to the twenty-seventh child born at this clinic in the Dalori displacement camp. With nearly 300,000 people displaced since February, more than 1.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict in northeast Nigeria. Many of those displaced from areas liberated after months of Boko Haram control suffer from malnutrition, dehydration and exhaustion, especially women and children. In less than two months, 73 deaths have been reported, of which 33 percent of children under 5 years of age are involved. In an effort to reduce infant mortality among displaced populations. UNICEF immediately deployed a team of health professionals through the state's Primary Health Care Development Agency to improve integrated health care services provided in the camp. Three clinics were established in Dalori camp, in collaboration with UNICEF and the Government of Japan, where Halima and the child were treated. Health workers participated in the installation and were trained to provide 24-hour services. The team is made up of three midwives, three doctors and 50 community volunteers. Baby Baby Fatima faces the future Halima says, "I don't know what would have happened if they hadn't saved me and brought me to this camp." The girl, dressed in a white cloth, is temporarily named Fatima by her mother. After seven days, she will receive her official name, according to local traditions. Overwhelmed by her work, Halima inspects the people around her, the health professionals. She has never sent her children to school, but she is imagining the opportunities an education can bring to the newest child. "That's what I want for my daughter," she says. Since I came to this camp, I realized that everyone who helped here had access to Western education. I will allow my daughter to go to school, she continues with a vision of determination. Halima will work hard; Her daughter will have access to education. Meanwhile, her eldest son is attending a UNICEF-supported school in the camp. Read the full article

#Education #News

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klyons99-blog · 5 years

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The story of Shaesta Waiz seems like a dream for most refugee women. Shaesta and her parents fled from the Soviet-Afghan war in 1987 when she was just a child. Coming to America, she or her parents had no idea of how their lives would be. However life turned around for Shaesta when she found her love for aviation. She traveled solo across the world, stopping in many beautiful countries. She even journeyed back to her home in Afghanistan. She explained how seeing her home gave her mixed emotions, she thought that her native people would not accept her because of the role she has as a pilot. However, the Afghani government honored her with the title of “Ambassador of Peace” for their country. Some refugee women have lives completely opposite of Shaesta’s. Problems that women still face are certain responsibilities such as healthcare, food, etc. Most of the problems they face are what they ran away from, such as sexual violence and poverty. In class, we learned about the story of the woman who was gang-raped by Sudanese and Janjawid soldiers. The woman was pregnant, and as a result of her rape, she gave birth to a stillborn baby. After escaping and leaving to Chad, she was raped again by a Chadian soldier. Her husband left her and her family disowned her. She is now known as a product of rape or “rape victim.” It occurred to me how traumatized and spiritually damaged these women must be. To be disowned or expelled from your family by something you can't control is saddening. In “The Last Girl”, a memoir of Nadia Murad, she faced a similar situation. She and her family had an okay life. However things took a turn for her once Islamic State militants killed hundreds of people from her village. Nadia and other women were forced to become sex slaves then sold into the ISIS slave trade. Nadia was constantly beaten then raped. As brave as she is, she escaped. Nadia, now a refugee, is forced to live her story all while bringing awareness to the mistreatment of women in countries. A memoir similar to Nadia is “Tears of the Desert”, the story of Hamila Bashir. Hamila lived the perfect life in the eyes of other girls in there Zaghawa tribe. She had parents that pushed her to be herself and even greater. Hamila became her village’s first doctor after receiving good education away from home. However her story took a left turn once a war began in her country of Darfur. Janjaweed Arab militias terrorized the Zaghawa tribe along with the Sudanese military. They raped school girls and killed families. Hamila was Able to help the victims because her degree and knowledge in medicine. She spoke out about the torment, but was arrested, tortured and raped as well. Hamila was able to claim asylum in Britain, which is where she lived with her husband and son. Her story showed that even those that believe the same as you can be violent. Luckily she was able to start a new life. Apparently it is common for refugees to be abused in some way. The Price of Refuge is a short documentary explaining the stories of women being sexually abused by aid workers in their camps. Some young girls were married off to men for aid for their families. Some families escaped to avoid rape, but ran straight to it. A young girl spoke about trying to receive help, but no one believed her or her friend. Her friend committed suicide because she felt as though all help and hope was lost. The girl telling the story became pregnant from her rape, to took medicine to abort her baby. These horrific stories makes me more grateful of the life that I have, the education I have as well as resources.

#shaesta waiz #pilot #role model #afghanistan #refugee

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afrikanza · 6 years

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10 Most Popular Actresses & Singers from Chad

The film and music industry in the Central African Republic isn’t massively developed yet, but some great film production and musical talent can be traced to this region. Chadian produced films have caught the attention of the world as well.

Below is a list of ten hugely talented successful female actresses and singers. Some are from Chad and others are not, but have worked in the Chadian film industry. These women broke some of the barriers in front of them and became famous.

Anais Monory

She is a beautiful African actress featured in Overdrive (2017) and Grigris (2013). The young Chadian actress is a of mixed descent, born of a French mother and a Chadian father. She started her career as a model in France and settled with her husband in Toulouse. The director of the award-winning film Mahamat-Saleh Haroun spotted her and felt she was right for the role that launched her into the big screens. She played a prostitute in the Grigris that was a hit at the Cannes Film festival 2013. She is a mother of twins, Cielo and Santo.

Aicha Yelena

Aicha is a African actress born in Chad. She is known for her role in Bye Bye Africa, a 1999 award-winning Chadian film. She played the girlfriend of a director who was also the film director in real life. Her role as Isabella attracted criticism from Chadians who could not differentiate the film from real life.

Djeneba Kone

Kone is a young African actress originally from Mali. She is known for her role in a film titled A Screaming Man (2010), directed by the award-winning Chadian director, Mahamat Saleh Haroun. She played the companion of the main actor. Kone also brought her voice to the music of the film. She also featured in Suite noir (2009) and Kabala (2002).

Another encounter she had with the Chadian film industry was when Chadian playwright, Koulsi Lamco integrated one of her songs into one of his creation for a one month tour in Europe. She was born of a singer mother and a Balaton player father; you can say she was destined for the arts. She was not only an actress but a dancer and vocalist. She was discovered as early as the age of 11. She died in a car accident on the 21st December 2011.

Fatima Adoum

She is a French actress who studied language sciences, performing arts and holds a doctorate from the University of Sorbonne, Paris in cinematography. She was born 14 November 1974 in Lyon. She has featured in a lot of movies including Sherlock Holmes: A game of shadows (2011), L’assaut (2010), irreversible (2002) and the Chadian produced movie Goi-Goi, which qualifies her to be on this list of Chadian African actresses.

Nadech Ngaryo

A Chadian actress known for her role in the 2009 film directed by Abakar Chene Massar called Le pelerine de Camp Nou, which literarily means Captain Majid in English. She played the part of the daughter of the team’s president called Faiza. She was an avid football fan in the no-budget Chad produced film.

Matibeye Genevieve

She is another beauty born in Doba, the southern part of Chad. Genevieve was also called Genzy by friends and fans. She was born on 2 September, 1987. She followed her mother’s footsteps of being a singer. Matibeye joined the choir in her church at age 12. Although she is a trained laboratory technician, Genzy chose to sing in cabarets and was soon known as the nightingale.

She launched her solo career in 2012 and has since become a celebrity. She has shared the stage with Mounira Mitchala and gotten international recognition. She sings about love, equality, forgiveness, the Chadian child rights and peace. Her songs are usually in French, Arabic and a local language called ngambaye.

Mounira Mitchala

Mounira was born in Chad on 19 September 1979; she is an African actress, singer, composer, and musician. The pretty actress featured in popular Chadian films like Daratt directed by Issa Serge Coelo and Abouna directed by the award-winning Mahama Saleh Haroun where she played minor roles.

She is, however, more popular for her strides in the music industry. She is also known as the Sweet Panther. Her preferred genre of music is the traditional African rhythms. One of her song title Talou Lena is known internationally. She has also shared the stage with greats like Tiken Jah Fakoly and Ismael Lo. She uses her songs to advocate for social justice and women rights.

Menodji Clarisse

She is a beautiful 24-year-old Chadian artist, also known as Melodji. She grew up in Ndjamena where she started singing in her church choir. She is a part of a group called Matania, which consist of five young ladies. Her voice is unique, sensual and mesmerizing.

She decided to go solo and has since grown in popularity. She sings in several Chadian dialects including French. Her songs are influenced by Rhythm and Blues, the traditional Chadian Afro beats and American pop music.

Audrey Linda Shey

She is the first Chadian female to have an album on the market. A former air hostess, she went into the music industry, pursuing her passion. Audrey is known as Princess Lynn by her fans. Her music is highly influenced by Angelique Kidjo.

Her first album was released in 2005 titled “And the Kids,” while the second album,”Who’s the profit ,” was released in 2012. She lives in the United States pursuing an international music career. She may one day venture into the film industry since she has a history of pioneering new things.

Haoua Ngaba

She is an older Chadian female singer who made a great impact on the younger generation of Chadian female artists. She is also considered a benefactor to the Chadian music industry. In 1968, she hosted the first president of Chad, François Ngarta Tombalbaye.

It was an inauguration ceremony where she was the main event. Ngaba has produced and managed several Chadian bands and hosted big African names such as Franco & TPOK Jazz, Tabu Ley Rochereau & Africa International Orchestra. She was recently decorated by the president of Chad.

The post 10 Most Popular Actresses & Singers from Chad appeared first on Afrikanza.

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usnewsaggregator-blog · 7 years

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Chad's survivors of torture and rape seek justice for fellow Africans

New Post has been published on http://usnewsaggregator.com/chads-survivors-of-torture-and-rape-seek-justice-for-fellow-africans/

Chad's survivors of torture and rape seek justice for fellow Africans

By Inna Lazareva

N’DJAMENA, Oct 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Ginette Ngarbaye, 52, rises from her seat, leans forward and glares intensely at the ghost of her tormentor.

“I gave him a long, deep look – like this,” she said, recalling how she came face to face with former Chad President Hissène Habré – the man responsible for the worst moments of her life.

Aged 20, she was arrested by Habré’s soldiers, interrogated, tortured and raped – all while pregnant with her first child. Unable to get medical help, she gave birth on the cement floor of her cell, crowded with other women and crawling with insects.

“I don´t even know what was used to cut the umbilical cord,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, wiping away droplets of sweat in the dusty courtyard at the home of a friend whose husband was abducted and killed in 1984.

But since Ngarbaye confronted Habré three decades on, delivering her testimony in a Dakar courtroom in 2015, she feels victorious, and still keeps a photo of the encounter.

Habré seized power in Chad in 1982, and imposed one-party rule. He waged a campaign against ethnic groups, including the Sara, Hadjerai, Zaghawa and Chadian Arabs, and others perceived to be opposed to his regime, carrying out arbitrary arrests, torture and political assassinations through his security agency.

After being ousted in a 1990 coup, he fled to Senegal. Two years later, the Chadian Truth Commission accused his government of being responsible for 40,000 murders and 200,000 cases of torture, but he was not arrested until 2013.

His conviction in May 2016 for war crimes and crimes against humanity sent shockwaves throughout Africa – marking the first time in modern history that one country’s domestic courts have prosecuted the former leader of another on rights charges.

Other such cases have been tried by international tribunals.

“This Habré case showed that victims, with tenacity and perseverance, can actually create the political conditions to bring their dictator to court,” Reed Brody, an American lawyer who has helped Habré’s victims, said by email.

Many of those survivors, now in their 60s and 70s, are not resting on their laurels.

Every Saturday morning they gather in N’Djamena as they have done for the past 26 years. Today their objective is even more ambitious – to ensure justice is done not only for themselves but also for other victims of rights abuses across Africa.

“NEVER AGAIN”

“We think the Habré trial serves as an example for all of Africa and beyond, where many people are killed and there are major violations of human rights,” said Clément Abaifouta, president of the Chad victims’ association, who spent four years in one of Habré´s prisons, earning the nickname “gravedigger” due to his job burying the bodies of detainees in mass ditches.

Sitting in the association’s dilapidated headquarters, Abaifouta pointed to a large poster on the wall with fat red letters stating “Never Again This!!!”

Above, sketches spell out exactly what that means: a woman bound in chains writhing in agony as a match burns her nipples; a man tied and hung upside down from the ceiling; a collection of human skulls piled on top of one another.

Today, only between 7,000 and 9,000 of Habré´s victims – who may have numbered about a quarter of a million – are still alive, said Abaifouta.

“But look at what´s happening in Burundi, in Gabon, in Syria – what´s happening everywhere,” he said. “The experience of Habré’s victims can be used to bring justice in other countries.”

In April, they met survivors of alleged atrocities committed by Gambia´s former leader Yahya Jammeh. He is accused of rights abuses, including unlawful detention, torture and murder of perceived opponents – charges the ex-president’s supporters deny.

This month, Jammeh’s victims launched a campaign to bring him to justice with the help of Brody who was instrumental in the Habré legal process.

The Chadian activists are also sharing their experiences with young people, using extracts from Habré´s trial as training materials, to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.

“We as victims, who have lived through this disaster, we can put ourselves forward as an example to bring peace, well-being, reconciliation and a peaceful coexistence,” said Abaifouta.

WAIT FOR COMPENSATION

The most pressing challenge for the victims is accessing financial compensation, which is still pending.

In April, the appeals court in Senegal ordered Habré to pay 82 billion CFA francs (about $144.5 million) in compensation, listing nearly 7,400 people as eligible and mandating a trust fund to search for and seize the former dictator´s assets.

Two years earlier, a Chadian court ordered the government to pay more than $60 million in reparations, erect a memorial, and turn Habré’s former political police headquarters into a museum.

To date, none of this has happened.

“The majority of people really need this money,” said Ousmane Taher, the association´s liaison officer. “His victims are now old, they have suffered so much, they don´t have a job – they are waiting for this money to be able to take care of themselves.”

Senegal has frozen some of Habré’s assets, including a house in an upscale Dakar neighbourhood and some small bank accounts, said Brody. “But Habré emptied out the Chadian national treasury in the days before his flight to Senegal, and we believe his assets are much more extensive,” he added.

The trust fund mandated by the Dakar court can also collect voluntary contributions – but the statutes governing it have yet to be approved by the African Union (AU).

REDRESS, a UK-based group working on justice for torture survivors, said it did not know the cause of the delay, and urged the AU to act at its upcoming summit in January.

The AU did not respond to a request for comment.

For now, the Chad victims’ association has set up a savings and loans group, which helps people access cash in times of crisis.

RAPE AS A WAR CRIME

Experts are also hoping the Habré trial will serve as an incentive to press for more convictions of rape as a war crime.

The judgment centered on sexual violence – a rare outcome at war crimes tribunals, Kim Thuy Seelinger, director of the sexual violence programme at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote in a journal article this year.

Rape was declared a war crime in 1919 after World War One, but only in 1998 did the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) first successfully charge former Rwandan mayor Jean-Paul Akayesu with using rape as a weapon of war.

The ICTR´s successor, the International Criminal Court, went on to issue its first rape conviction in 2016 when it held Democratic Republic of Congo´s Jean-Pierre Bemba responsible for a campaign of rape and murder in Central African Republic.

But the Habré case points to the difficulty of securing successful prosecutions. Habré was convicted of rape, as well as sexual crimes committed by his security agents, yet he himself was later acquitted of rape on procedural grounds because a key testimony came too late.

To prevent that happening again, “we must do more to support earlier disclosure of sexual violence”, wrote Seelinger.

As one of those who spoke out about rape by Habré’s soldiers despite the social stigma, Ngarbaye said people had mocked her and other witnesses for testifying against a man and a regime that had seemed all-powerful.

Their courage was vindicated by Habré´s conviction.

“We waited so long (for justice) – and finally it came,” said Ngarbaye. (Reporting by Inna Lazareva, editing by Megan Rowling and Kieran Guilbert; Please credit Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women´s rights, trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)

Original Article:

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#africans #fellow #justice #survivors #torture

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ralphmorgan-blog1 · 7 years

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Boko Haram favors women, children as suicide bombers, study reveals

(CNN)The majority of suicide bombers used by terror group Boko Haram to kill innocent victims are women and children, a US study reveals.

The ISIS-affiliated insurgent group has sent 80 women to their deaths in 2017 alone.

Boko Haram's use of women as bombers increased following the abduction of 276 female students aged between 16 and 18 from their school dormitories in April 2014. The Chibok Girls' abduction prompted the global "Bring Back Our Girls" campaign.

"Almost immediately after the Chibok kidnappings ... Boko Haram's use of women suicide bombers skyrocketed," says Jason Warner, assistant professor at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, the United States' elite military academy.

The report suggests "that Boko Haram started using women suicide bombers after it realized the potency that gender and youth offer in raising its global profile after the Chibok kidnappings," he says.

Youngest bomber aged just 7

As well as regularly employing women to carry deadly explosives, Boko Haram is also "at the forefront of normalizing the use of children as suicide bombers," according to the report.

"Boko Haram has shattered demographic stereotypes as to what a suicide bomber looks like," says Warner. "It is the first terrorist group in history to use more women suicide bombers than men, and is at the vanguard of using children as suicide bombers."

Of the 134 suicide bombers whose age could be determined, 60% were teenagers or children. The youngest suicide bomber identified to date was just 7 years old.

Boko Haram has used four times as many young girls as it has young boys, according to the study.

Ellen Chapin, a Yale-based researcher who worked on the report, told CNN the militant group "deployed 42 teenage girls and 23 little girls (12 years old and under), compared to 11 teenage boys and five little boys."

The group's reign of terror has left an estimated 35,000 dead over the last six years; Warner says the "vast majority" of the group's victims are "innocent, everyday Nigerians, Cameroonians, Nigerians and Chadians, not government or military personnel."

"The loss of life caused by Boko Haram -- and the war against the group -- has been staggering," Warner says, adding that the conflict has forced more than two million Nigerians to flee their homes, with "profound humanitarian consequences."

Women seen as "expendable"

The report's authors say there are several reasons why women and children are chosen as bombers, one being that they are far less likely to be searched.

They can hide explosives under their billowing clothing, or inside handbags, and in some cases have even strapped explosives on their backs with infant children.

There are also reports of men dressing as women to slip through security more easily.

The researchers also believe that women and children are more susceptible to Boko Haram's recruitment efforts than their male counterparts, through violence, brainwashing or false promises.

Women and female children, in particular, are seen as expendable by the male terrorist leadership -- their vulnerability a destructive, deadly curse.

One former insurgent told researchers that women "are cheap and they are angry for the most part," adding that "using women allows you to save your men."

Mistrust spreading in communities

Hilary Matfess, one of the lead authors of the report, told CNN the group's choice of suicide bombers "upends social norms about women and children, which make them effective beyond merely the lives that they claim when they are detonated."

The spreading of mistrust caused by the use of women and children in such deadly roles "undermines social cohesion and will make the process of post-conflict reconciliation and redevelopment all the more difficult," she says.

Researchers' fieldwork for the study was limited because northeastern Nigeria -- where Boko Haram is based -- is notoriously dangerous for locals and foreigners.

"Media reports often did not report full details of the bombings," says Warner. "Even getting approximate ages of bombers proved to be very difficult ... and media accounts often did not even report the gender of the bombers."

"In instances where age or gender was not reported, it might be reasonable to expect that the bomber was an adult man, and thus, age and gender were not newsworthy enough to report at all," he says.

Matfess spent much of her time in the field conducting face-to-face interviews with former Boko Haram insurgents, victims and family members affected by Boko Haram's reign of terror.

She said that as well as true suicide bombers, who are willing to die for a cause, Boko Haram also uses improvised explosives carried by unwilling victims and others coerced verbally, physically, materially or by violence. These are known as person-borne IEDs, or PBIEDs.

"Children and those forced into serving as bombers cannot be considered 'suicide bombers' and the counterterrorism measures against PBIED attacks can differ than the tactics deployed against an autonomous, dedicated suicide bomber," she says.

Women stigmatized by bombings

In Maiduguri, a town hit hard by Boko Haram's suicide bombings, Matfess says the government has begun a campaign to raise public awareness about women and child bombers, explaining how to identify potential attackers.

"The policy is well intentioned, [but] it risks stigmatizing the bombers, many -- though not all -- of whom have been coerced or forced into serving in this role," she said, adding that "the widespread suspicion of women and girls that these attacks have resulted in already puts women and girls at a disadvantage in the community."

Matfess said former Boko Haram members had told her that some women do join Boko Haram voluntarily, and some even volunteer to be suicide bombers.

She recalled a meeting with a group of female Boko Haram members who had been "rescued" by the Nigerian military and were being held in a rehabilitation camp, but who "were still loyal to the insurgency."

After talking to one of the group's younger recruits, a 14-year-old called Fatima, who had already been married twice, the girl asked to braid her hair.

"It was so clear to me then that this was just a young woman, with interests not very different from the [teenage] girls I grew up with, caught in the middle of tragic circumstances and a society marked by structural violence against women."