FG Addresses Conflict Trauma in Nigerian Children

The Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed serious concern regarding the psychological effects of conflict on children, particularly highlighting that 41.5% of children affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in Chibok meet the clinical threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A national study indicated that 79.7% of displaced Nigerian children suffer from PTSD, 84.8% from depression, and 90.7% experience functional impairment.

Dr Bernard Doro, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, presented these statistics at the National Policy Dialogue on the Psychosocial Impact of Conflicts on Children in Borno State. He pledged enhanced Federal Government intervention in children's mental health, stating that humanitarian efforts must address psychological wounds alongside physical needs.

Dr Doro introduced the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) to improve coordination in identifying and assisting vulnerable children. He outlined commitments to strengthen community referral pathways, improve trauma identification, and train frontline workers to recognize trauma in children.