The report titled "Missing Childhoods" showed that the number of children forced from their homes has more than doubled in 2014 compared to the previous year.
Nigeria, together with Niger, Chad and Cameroon, is currently fighting against the Boko Haram extremist group, which, aiming to establish an Islamic state, began large-scale attacks in northeast Nigeria in 2009.
The study underlined that children in Nigeria are "in critical danger" as the conflict in the country has escalated into a desperate humanitarian crisis. The conflict has made it extremely difficult for many children in Nigeria to access basic human needs, apart from health, education and social services.
According to the report, children in Nigeria are subject to extreme violence – from sexual abuse and forced marriage to kidnappings and killings. They are used as human bombs and forced to fight alongside armed groups.
According to UN estimates, Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria have killed at least 15,000 since 2009. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimated that the terrorist group has killed at least 1,000 people since the beginning of this year.
Boko Haram is an Islamist terrorist group founded in 2002 and initially focused on opposing Western-style education. The group seeks the establishment of a caliphate in West Africa, and is currently operating on the border of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
