Listening to Adolescent Girls: A Review of the Inclusion of Adolescent Girls’ Needs within the Humanitarian Response in Northeast Nigeria

The document titled "A Review of the Inclusion of Adolescent Girls’ Needs within the Humanitarian Response in Northeast Nigeria" is the result of a review of the interagency humanitarian response and analyses how the multi-sector needs of adolescent girls are addressed within humanitarian efforts responding to the crisis in Northeast Nigeria. The review was carried out using a participatory approach that included adolescent girls as well as multiple local and women-led organizations.

Context and Purpose

The Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) States of northeast Nigeria have been acutely affected by conflict, disaster, displacement, and insecurity. Adolescent girls are historically overlooked in humanitarian responses and rarely have opportunity to participate in needs assessment and monitoring efforts. This review was the first of its kind and looked at the gaps in the humanitarian response, identified promising practices and evidence-based programming that should be scaled up, and identified actions for all stakeholders in the humanitarian system to take to ensure adolescent girls’ needs are identified and met in northeast Nigeria and other humanitarian contexts.

Methodology

The review synthesizes data from a desk review of available literature, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with adolescent girls (and their caregivers when appropriate). It was undertaken with a participatory approach along with intersectional and survivor-centred approaches and draws from the to form a holistic picture of existing gaps and opportunities.

Key Findings

• Invisibility in Data and Programming

Adolescent girls are often not distinctly recognized in needs assessments or program designs. Data tends to aggregate "children" or "women and girls," erasing the specific realities of this age group. As a result, programming rarely targets or adapts to the needs of girls aged 10–19.

• Barriers to Accessing Services

Harmful social norms, gender inequality and discrimination, and safety concerns significantly limit girls' access to essential services such as education, healthcare, nutrition, psychosocial support, and protection. Mobility restrictions, lack of availability of accurate information and age-appropriate services for sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and lack of pathways to suitable livelihoods further compound the challenges.

• Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Risks

Adolescent girls face high risks of sexual violence, exploitation, and early marriage—risks exacerbated by displacement and weakened protective structures. Many girls lack safe spaces or confidential reporting mechanisms, which reduces their ability to seek help, and are living in fear of abduction from non-State armed groups.

• Limited Opportunities to Participate

Humanitarian organizations do not consistently provide opportunities for adolescent girls to meaningfully participate in needs assessments, monitoring, or feedback systems, which excludes adolescent girls from decision-making spaces. Girls’ voices are seldom included in community consultations or program design, leaving interventions less relevant or effective for them.

• Promising Practices and Opportunities

Promising practices were identified during the review, such as the establishment of community-based safe spaces for adolescent girls where they can receive accurate information about their rights and available services as well as receive referrals in the case of violence. In addition, some sectors made changes to their programing upon receipt of feedback from adolescent girls though this was ad hoc and not systematic. Notably, the country-based pooled fund had a dedicated funding window for programming that addressed the needs of women and girls and prioritized funding to local organizations. 

Recommendations

The review calls for a strategic shift in humanitarian responses to ensure adolescent girls are prioritized and have opportunities to participate. Key recommendations include:

• Disaggregating data by age and sex to inform targeted programming.
• Designing tailored interventions that address girls’ unique needs, such as age-appropriate SRH, secondary education and suitable livelihood training, and GBV prevention and availability of survivor-centred services.
• Ensuring adolescent girls participate meaningfully in the planning and evaluation of humanitarian programs, which can be enhanced through the participation of women-led and girl-led organizations in humanitarian systems.
• Training humanitarian staff on adolescent-responsive approaches.
• Investing in safe spaces for adolescent girls and protection and empowerment interventions targeted  for girls.

Conclusion

The review concludes that while there is growing recognition of the unique challenges faced by adolescent girls, this has not yet consistently translated into programming in northeast Nigeria. Greater funding, inclusive planning and assessments, and shifts in harmful social norms are needed to ensure that humanitarian responses are equitable and truly responsive to all—especially those who are most vulnerable to exclusion and protection violations.