HRW flags incarcerated children

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Nigeria to release thousands of children detained by the military over suspected links with Boko Haram. In a 50-page report, the global watchdog said thousands of children were being arbitrarily detained in degrading and inhuman conditions in military cells, particularly at Giwa barracks in the restive north eastern city of Maiduguri. 'Many children are held without charge for months or years in squalid and severely overcrowded military barracks, with no contact with the outside world,' it said. The UN believes 3 600 children, including 1 617 girls, are believed to have been detained between January 2013 and March 2019 for suspected involvement with non-state armed groups. 'Children are being detained in horrific conditions for years, with little or no evidence of involvement with Boko Haram, and without even being taken to court,' said Jo Becker, children's rights advocacy director for HRW.

HRW statement