IDP camps turn into baby factories as residents seek sexual succour amid hardship
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Internally Displaced Person (IDP) campers in Benue have turned to sex to relief them of their physical hardship and are producing at least 200 babies per month in one camp alone, enlarging their squalor even where there is no enough food to eat.
Benue already has a herculean task fending for displaced citizens, with more than 17 IDP camps housing more than 1.5 million people, including those sheltering in host communities.
The IDP campers were forced out of their homes following repeated siege and attacks by armed herdsmen defying the state grazing law.
It is a tale of woes in the camps strewn across several councils – among them Guma Agatu, Gwer West, Kwande, Makurdi, Logo, Apa, Okpokwu, Bururku, and Otukpo – as rural Benue farmers known for their prowess in food production have been driven out of their homes and forced to take refuge in IDP camps.
Babies are born into a world of uncertainty in camps where access to proper health care services and feeding is daunting, leading to malnutrition and othrt health challenges.
More than 200 babies are being born each month by displaced women in Ortese IDP camp in Guma Council alone.
The figure is part of the findings of the Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS) of the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organisation UNICEF/WHO Humanitarian Health Response, IDP Outreach implemented by the Benue State Primary Healthcare Board, per reporting by Vanguard.
The survey was carried out at the IDP camps in Ortese in Guma Council and Ichwa in Makurdi Council.
The high birth rate is reportedly fuelled by the fact campers find pleasure and happiness in sleeping with their spouses in the midst of their distress.
“Though we live in the camp we find space to sleep with our wives. When we do that we are happy with each other and it helps us reduce the pains we are going through,” disclosed a camper who identified himself simply as Anngu, who has two children and lives in Ortese camp with his family.
“So we cannot be asked to stop because we are living in camp. The only thing is that we must ensure that our wives protect themselves from being pregnant though some men don’t like the idea of their wives not giving birth.
“As for me I came to the camp about two years ago with my wife and two children and I sleep with my wife, but I ensure that she uses the family planning products that were given to her by the health care people. But the truth is that many are not using it.”
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“Government needs to do something about it”
Grace Wende, Executive Secretary of Benue State Primary Health Care Board, who visited the camp, said the number of new births is quite high and the government would need to do something about it.
Her words: “I saw a very interesting sight. I’ve been in these camps often as part of our coordination beat and as part of the main role of primary health care.
“We are part of the major leading partners in supporting the IDP camps in terms of providing healthcare personnel who will be providing services to these various camps.
“Today I saw many pregnant women and young children and it seems that there is very high level of fertility and child birth within these camps.
“Today alone we noticed that there are 200 new births per month. It is quite high, and government needs to do something about it.
“But from my discussion with them it seems that they are not utilising the family planning products that were given to them. So we need to intensify demand creation generation, especially among the men because they took the problem there. The women are willing but their husbands are resisting those family planning methods.
“The 200 births I am talking about is just in Ortese IDPs Camp. I am not talking about any other. So, 200 babies delivered in one camp in one month is huge. And we have not gotten the situation in other camps.
“Our findings indicated that the women there are helpless. Some women are remarrying within the camp, their husbands are not there; the husbands are also remarrying. They are also, sort of negotiating sex with the women within the camp.
“Those things are things that require that we intensify our advocacy and decision making within the camps.
“I have already talked with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Camp Coordinators to see how we can go about it. We will target the advocacy on the men for now.”