When the survivors are returned to their families, integrating into mainstream society becomes a mammoth task for them, with many carrying the burden of stigma, shame, lack of employment opportunities, poverty, sexual harassment and self-alienation (low self-esteem, guilt). They suffer from poverty, stemming from the absence of livelihoods, lack of alternative sources of income, low levels of education and skills, and lack of access to loans to formal credit as individuals. In the shelter homes where survivors remain for years, they receive generic training for services that do not cater to their interests, skills or aspirations. Furthermore, a lack of reintegration policy beyond that of family reunification, an absence of strategy for economic empowerment, and an assumption that the survivors will integrate into the general mainstream, worsens the plight of these survivors. Those who dream of setting up a business or creating a source of livelihood, often face stigma from various societal groups such as the administration, financial institutions, and their communities. Market linkages and product sales become challenging for these survivors.
Thus, in the absence of sustainable livelihoods and economic opportunities, survivors’ reintegration into communities remains a perennial question.