Malala Yousafzai challenged the world to increase efforts in rescuing the captive Chibok girls.
On Sunday, Malala Yousafzai challenged the world to increase efforts in bringing back the abducted Chibok girls. It has been 300 days since the militant group Boko Haram abducted the 276 school girls.
Yousafzai is a joint Nobel prize winner, and a proponent of education for women. As a female student, she risked her life to receive an education, and thus urges the world to fight for the rights of girls all around the world to receive education.
The world, according to Yousafzai, is not doing enough to rescue the Chibok girls, who attended a Christian school before being abducted. Most of the girls come from underprivileged families, with no political strength.
“Nigerian leaders and the international community can and must do much more to resolve this crisis and change their weak response to date,” said Yousafzai. “If these girls were the children of politically or financially powerful parents, much more would be done to free them. But they come from an impoverished area of northeast Nigeria and sadly little has changed since they were kidnapped.”
Most of the 276 girls remain in the control of Boko Haram. Some of them escaped and reported abuses on various levels. According to a report by the Human Rights Watch published a couple months ago, the militants allegedly raped and beat the captives, as well as forced them to convert to Islam. Many of the girls were also forced to marry the militants. Despite previous attempts to negotiate with the militants, the Nigerian government has been unsuccessful in securing the safety of the remaining girls.
“These young women risked everything to get an education that most of us take for granted … I will not forget my sisters,” said Yousafzai. “The leaders of Nigeria should commit to work together and make the case of the Chibok girls a priority in their first 100 days in office, as well as the education of every Nigerian child.”
The presidential elections for the new Nigerian president will take place on March 28.
