Red Hand Day: Protecting Children from Armed Conflict in Nigeria 

February 12 is Red Hand Day, the global day of action to end the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. Around the world, people raise a red hand to send one clear message: children do not belong in war. Today and every day, Street Child joins our fellow Watchlist members and the wider international community in calling for stronger protection for children whose lives are shaped by violence.

 

Street Child works with children associated with armed groups in several countries, but today we want to highlight our work in North East Nigeria, where children face daily threats to their safety, with armed conflict exposing them to abduction, exploitation and the loss of education. Through our programmes, Street Child supports children who have been abducted by armed groups, displaced, or exposed to violence to return to learning, access mental health support, and reintegrate into their communities. Stories like the one below, first reported by The Times, show what this reality means through the eyes of those who lived it. 

Nine years ago, an armed group stormed a town in northern Nigeria. Aisha*, her husband, and their children were taken captive, alongside their neighbour Bello* and his parents. Bello was still a toddler. Forced into the bush, both families spent eight years living under the control of armed groups, used as human shields during military raids and living unprotected alongside their captors. Bello’s father and Aisha’s husband disappeared, and Aisha was repeatedly abused and raped. 
 
During one Nigerian army operation, helicopters appeared overhead, firing as people scattered in panic. Amid the chaos, Aisha lost sight of Bello’s mother and never saw her again. Bello himself was injured, grazed by shrapnel. Aisha picked him up and from that moment on, she cared for him as if he were her own son.

Aisha and Bello eventually escaped captivity in 2022, beginning a long journey of rehabilitation and healing supported by Street Child and partners. 

Sadly, their story is not unique. Across North East Nigeria, decades of armed conflict have forced schools to close, displaced families, and left children dangerously exposed to abduction, abuse, and exploitation by armed groups.
 

When children are recruited or used in armed conflict, the harm goes far beyond the battlefield. They are subjected to extreme violence and grave human rights abuses, while also being denied access to education, healthcare, safety, and childhood itself.
 

Street Child works across North East Nigeria to support children affected by conflict — helping them return to learning, rebuild their lives, and reclaim their rights. Since we first started working in the country nearly ten years ago, we have reached over 277,000 children, with more than 51,000 children directly supported with child protection work like Bello.

*Names changed for safeguarding