Why do you think women are so often the survivors of sexual violence during conflict?

Women and girls are targeted because they are often the repository for cultural identity: We are the first storytellers, we bring up our children, we teach them how to behave. So they are attacked by violent extremists and terrorist groups who want to break that cultural identity.

What can be done for survivors of sexual violence?

Anywhere in the world, if you’ve been raped, there is a stigma. But the victims of sexual violence need rehabilitation, reparations and redress.

The UN has already put forward a list of recommendations, including better training, safeguarding and medical screening. Is there anything else that you would add to that list?

It would be very good if we could invest in women’s groups, to lead grassroots efforts; to engage with traditional and religious leaders, so we can shift the shame and stigma of sexual violence from the victims onto the perpetrators. In the case of Nigeria, the managers of the camps need to improve food security, so women aren’t forced into sexual transactions for survival.

I would like to see counsellors and clinics in every camp so the help is actually where you need it. And I would like to see a formal referral mechanism between the camp authorities and humanitarian organisations so that displaced women and girls can, as standard, access gender-based violence screening services. To ask women, as a matter of course, if they have been the victim of bullying; to start with that, rather than even talking about violence. That way we won’t miss the issue, because someone is far more likely to confess to being bullied or coerced than rape or sexual violence.

Is there a link between gender inequality and sexual violence?

I think the reason we are so ill-equipped to help people in the North East of Nigeria is because our sexual health and reproductive services just aren’t good enough in the first place. We need to ensure that HIV prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infection is universal. And, of course, sexual violence doesn’t only happen to women. But in a culture where women cannot talk about sexual violence, can you imagine a man admitting to having been raped?

If our public health and social safety services – I don’t want to use the word 'welfare' – were strong enough in the first place, then it wouldn’t be that difficult to look after the people in the camps. But they’re not.

The social safety framework in Nigeria isn’t the government; it’s the extended family. And so when that fails, women are left incredibly vulnerable. But if you strengthen the community, then that community is better placed to support those in distress; those who have been the victim of conflict.