The abduction
of the over 270 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Chibok,
Borno State on May 14, 2014 has continued to generate attention with the latest
being that of Ashoka Fellows Network, who are seeking to internationalise the
abduction in the calendar of global events for commemoration, DigitalSENSE Business News reports.
These girls, DigitalSENSE Business News recalls had resumed briefly, to
take their examinations at the school, in a state that has virtually been a war
zone for the past five years due to the menace of the group we have come to
know as Boko Haram. For almost two weeks, there was deadly silence, until the
world began to catch up and speak out, until social media came alive with fury
about yet another injustice done to innocent children by the terrorist group in
North-Eastern Nigeria.
Ashoka
Fellows Network in Nigeria at the end of a session on the subject in a communiqué
endorsed by 13 members of the group, wondered why the government reportedly
took so long to respond, thereby allowing room for various atrocities against
the girls continued unabated for over two weeks before the international outcry.
The group
also attributed this to because those affected were mainly from poor families,
after all, a serving senator was quoted as saying ‘only poor people send their
children to public school’.
“Their
parents were not senators or ministers, they had no one to speak up for them or
offer a huge ransom in exchange for their return,” part of the communique read.
They also
alleged that under a state of emergency, evidence has shown daily attacks on
the lives of citizens continue unabated with mass killings, kidnappings, rape
and other atrocities committed against innocent civilians daily in each of
these states.
Ashoka
Fellows Network equally quoted a recent report by Human Rights Watch in October
2013 and lamented the kidnappings of girls and other citizen.
Although
decrying the neglect of the girls in Nigeria, the group said girls have less of a chance to go to
school and are more likely to be sold in child marriage, according to the
United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF).
Other parts
of the communique read that the government should:
1. Take full responsibility for the
Chibok atrocity and its delayed response – it is not the responsibility of any
other government and our government must be held accountable and apologize to
the families and the world. It must act immediately to salvage what is already
a very tragic situation.
2. PURSUE THE RESCUE MISSION WITH
MINIMUM USE OF FORCE – many have cried for military bombardment but we as
social activists are acutely aware that war and more violence are not the
answer and directly threaten the lives of the residents of the state. We ask the
government get these girls back with use of MINIMUM USE OF FORCE to avoid
casualties and death among the girls and the civilian population of Borno and
surrounding states
3. IMMEDIATELY CALL FOR QUESTIONING
AND POSSIBLE DISCHARGE of all defense and service chiefs charged to guard
the citizens of the state but unable to protect these girls who have not been
located for close to a month.
4. IMMEDIATELY CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS IN
BORNO AND SURROUNDING STATES until government is able to offer full 24 hour
protection with FULL SECURITY to all school children
“5. PUT IN PLACE WITH IMMEDIATE
EFFECT A TRAUMA SUPPORT CENTRE – where parents and girls that have escaped from
the kidnappers can receive support, care and counseling. ALL RETURNED GIRLS
must be given immediate access to rape support care and placed on all necessary
medications free of charge. This support centre should be fully equipped with
appropriate and culturally relevant services and families and victims must
receive secure transportation to and from the venue as well as have full
protection while accessing services. In addition, families of the victims
should be place under protective custody of the state to ensure no reprisal
attacks are taken against them.
“We call on
Nigerians and the world to hear the silent cries of these girls as they weep
daily and TO NOT RELENT UNTIL THESE GIRLS ARE BROUGHT HOME AND THE PERPETRATORS
BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.
“We as Ashoka Fellows in Nigeria represent the community of social
entrepreneurs that are committed to social change and Social JUSTICE in the
country. We cannot sit by idly and pretend that all is well when the opposite
is the case. We want to state that CHIBOK girls are OUR GIRLS. They are not
just poor and nameless children. They are our daughters and our sisters. They
represent what little light of hope is left in the country. They represent
a dream dashed to pieces and we must do all we can to halt this tragedy that is
occurring and find some way to reconcile these girls with their homes and
families, while giving them the full and necessary support to put the pieces of
their broken lives back together.”
Chuks Egbuna/GEE
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