Right in the sprawling Makurdi Ultra Modern International Market thousands of displaced persons from Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State have found a safe haven after fleeing their communities following the June 13 armed herdsmen incursions in their community.

The abandoned commercial space has transformed into a temporary refuge for the people uprooted by conflict. Amid the struggle for survival, however, a troubling development has emerged, one that has sparked outrage among aid workers and government officials alike.

Reports of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions among women and girls in the camp have raised serious health and moral concerns.

For many of these Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, life in the camp is already a daily struggle for food, water and comfort. Yet, some have found themselves turning to one another for emotional and physical comfort in a desperate attempt to fill the gap created by their situation leading to loss and loneliness.

“We have learnt not to be too burdened and worried by our situation. People here just want to feel alive again, to forget the pain of the past. So we still meet our wives and female friends because despite our situation we are still human beings,” a young male IDP said.

Unfortunately, this pursuit of emotional relief has led to unprotected sexual activities among young men and women in the camp, creating a crisis of unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

This goes on in a camp of more than 5,000 men, women, and children crammed in the temporary shelter with limited privacy.

And in the environment, intimacy often occurs without protection, and without access to adequate reproductive health information. And when available not heeded to.

According to health workers stationed in the camp, the consequences of these risky encounters are becoming increasingly evident.

The medical volunteer who asked not to be named, told Arewa Voice that foetuses were recently discovered at the camp’s refuse dump. The unpleasant discovery was made by Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, volunteers in the camp during a routine waste evacuation.

“When they were clearing the refuse, they found foetuses dumped there. It was a shocking sight. They called me, but what could I do? We have sexaully active men and women in the camp and something has to be done urgently to help them know the health implication of unprotected sex.”

He explained that a young man, believed to be operating from outside the camp, is allegedly assisting some of the girls to terminate pregnancies using crude methods.

“Some of them come down with complications afterward but it doesn’t seem to stop others. They just keep taking the risk.”

The volunteer expressed fear that unprotected sex is not only leading to unwanted pregnancies but also increasing the risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

He said: “We have HIV-positive persons here who are on treatment, if they also engage in unprotected sex, the danger is obvious. This calls for urgent intervention.”

He appealed for government and humanitarian partners to intensify awareness campaigns and distribute free condoms regularly in the camps.

“I will advise that beyond food and shelter, these people need constant health education. They must be sensitised on a regular basis on the dangers of unprotected sex and the use of abortion pills without medical guidance,” he added.

Attempts to speak directly with some of women were unsuccessful, as many were unwilling to discuss the issue.

The Camp Manager, Mr. Robert Nyom, confirmed that the discovery of aborted foetuses was reported to him. He described it as disturbing and assured that steps were being taken to address the situation.

The Benue State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Theresa Ikwue, also expressed her concern when the issue was brought to her attention during her recent familiarisation tour of the camp.

During the visit, a Nigeria Red Cross official briefed the Commissioner on the growing number of abortion related cases handled by the humanitarian organisation.

The Red Cross personnel who expressed concern over the issue disclosed that the abortions were mostly carried out by quacks which would later require professional attention.

She noted that the Red Cross handling Child Protection Services alone had at the time recorded10 cases apart from those reported directly to the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA.

Reacting to the revelation, the Commissioner pledged that the Ministry would step up efforts to reach adolescent girls in the camps with targeted education and reproductive health awareness.

She commended Nigeria Red Cross for the intervention it was providing in that regard, assuring that necessary steps would be taken to support its staff.

The Commissioner assured that Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration remains committed to the welfare of displaced persons in the state.

“Governor Alia has been consistent in his support for IDPs through SEMA. We will continue to work with partners to ensure their safety, dignity and health,” she said.

As dusk falls over the Makurdi market camp, life continues as usual, children running about, women cooking over smoky fire, and men gathered in quiet conversations. Yet beneath this fragile semblance of normalcy lies a silent cry for help, one that demands urgent attention before more lives are lost to neglect, ignorance and desperation. (Vanguard)