Women and Girls in Northeast Nigeria Report Heightened Demand for Contraception, but Face Barriers to Services

New York, NY – A new study released by the Women’s Refugee Commission today shows internally displaced women in conflict-affected Borno State, Nigeria, report increased demand for contraceptives following displacement. The report, focused on contraceptive service delivery and post-abortion care (PAC) in the region, also showed significant barriers to these services.

An estimated 1.7 million women and girls of reproductive age have been forcibly displaced in northeastern Nigeria due to a violent insurgency led by fundamentalist extremists, including Boko Haram. The study focused on displaced women and girls and host communities in Maiduguri and neighboring Jere Local Government Areas in Borno State.

“We know that when women and girls are forced to flee their homes, they face an increased risk of sexual violence,” said Sarah Rich, senior advisor for sexual and reproductive health. “We also know that women who experience displacement do not suddenly abandon their needs for family planning and reproductive health care services.”

Globally, studies have shown that crisis-affected and forcibly displaced women and girls face increased risk of maternal morbidity, mortality, and gender-based violence; higher risks of sexually transmitted infections; greater risk of unintended pregnancies; and heightened risk of unsafe abortion.

“We found that despite women and girls wanting to avert unintended pregnancy, huge barriers remain across the region to contraceptive access, especially for adolescent girls and unmarried women, who report high levels of stigma, which can deter them from seeking the often lifesaving care they need,” said Rich.

The study found that in addition to community stigma, barriers to contraceptive methods and services – as well as PAC services – included health provider turnover and shortages, lack of skilled providers, and commodity shortages. The study also found that despite Nigeria’s strict abortion laws, which allows for abortion only to save the life of a woman, abortion is common but often dangerous, with women and girls resorting to unsafe—often life-threatening—abortions.

“The high maternal mortality rate underscores the need for government agencies to work with community health partners and humanitarian organizations to better ensure access to the full scope of contraceptive methods, including emergency contraception, for all who want to use it,” said Rich. “This means working together to improve supply as well as trained and qualified health facility staff. This isn’t just about access to quality medical care. Too often, this is about saving women’s lives.”

###