Women and girls go to pharmacies, vendors of locally made drugs and older women to terminate pregnancies, using medication, herbs or tools like sticks, Aminu said.
"Men say it's immorality. But they are not the ones who have to give birth and look after the babies. When your children are telling you they are hungry, how can you have another one?" she asked, adding foetuses are often found in the camp's toilets."Regardless of circumstances, abortion is prohibited except for medical reasons," said Ali Grema, deputy director of emergency medical response in the health ministry in Borno state.
Pointing to a poster in a Maiduguri camp encouraging women to space their children, Hadiza - a nurse working in a nearby clinic - said family planning messages focused on married women because of conservative attitudes. "Our culture means it is taboo for parents to discuss sex education with their daughters," said Dlama, who encourages mothers to teach girls about their bodies."They can think it is stomach pain, give birth and then panic."
Pregnancy outside marriage is a taboo, even when it is the result of rape by soldiers, militias or camp officials. "We see young girls and women requesting abortion," said one aid worker who worked to support health clinics across Borno state and spoke on condition of anonymity.