“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”
-Malala Yousafzai
(photo of Malala - source: Instagram)
#Bringbackourgirls
On April
15, an Islamic militant group kidnapped several hundred young girls
(ages ranging from 15-18) from a school in northern Nigeria. While approximately 50 girls have escaped, 276
are believed to still be in captivity. In a video obtained by the Agence France-Presse, leaders from the group said the following:
"I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah," a man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. "There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women," he continued.
(This is according to a CNN translation from the local Hausa language. To read more click here.)
Many
of the girls have been sold for as little as $12 into marriages with militants. In the last year, militants have destroyed 50 schools, as educated women
pose the greatest threat to their worldview. Parents of the girls have pleaded
with the UN and the West to aid in the rescue and recovery of these girls,
however it appears little has been done on the part of the Nigerian government
to intervene. Thus enter the power of social media. Groups have started viral
social media campaigns using the hashtag ‘Bringbackourgirls’ in hopes to bring
this travesty to light on forums like Facebook, Change.org, and even
Whitehouse.gov.
Girls’ Education and militant
Islam
This extremist group, Boko Haram,
(which means “Western Education is a sin”) is carrying out what is believed to
be an extremist backlash throughout Africa and the Middle East against girls’
education – an issue brought to light most recently by a young Pakistani girl
Malala Yousafzai. Malala and her father,
instrumental advocates for Pakistani girls’ rights to education, rose to
national prominence despite growing opposition groups like the Taliban and the
Pakistani’s unwillingness (or perhaps just sheer indifference) to protect those
rights. Their cause, however, broke
national headlines and caught the attention of the entire world when Taliban
leaders carried out a hit on Malala. At
age 15, she was shot in the head as a message to her family and supporters. Her survival of the attack only further seems
to exacerbate militant groups’ desire to squelch the movement. (For more information on Malala, I suggest you read her book, “I am Malala”. It’s phenomenal.)
Efforts to Rescue
Last week, America
deployed 80 troops to Chad to assist in the international search for the
missing school girls. Troops are expected to provide assistance in the usage of
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft for missions. Great
Britain, France, and Israel have all contributed toward the location and
recovery of the captive girls. Yesterday, according to the Nigerian Defense Chief,
the compound where the girls’ are being held captive has been located. Negotiations were underway with the group to
do a prisoner swap with nearly 100 Boko Haram prisoners, however those negotiations have fallen through in
recent hours. Demonstrators are
demanding that the girls be rescued, but it is unclear if the girls can be
recovered via force without a serious risk of death.
The handling of this
situation has also brought to light many questions on the authority and the
capability of the Nigerian government, and its military. Reluctance to allow international forces in,
suggests that perhaps Nigeria does not want to garner more attention to its
inability to handle the situation properly.
Reports to the Associated Press have indicated that Boko Haram is better
equipped and trained than Nigeria’s own military – compounding the difficulty
of staging a rescue attempt. Like we've seen in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, the influence of these
militant groups increases as the national government flounders, and is unable
to provide basic needs and services to the people. Without adequate security, there is no way to
fight these groups, and without adequate quality of life, there is no way to
stop their recruiting. It’s clear that
this controversy highlights the two larger issues at play – government corruption
and ineffectiveness, and the rise of militant Islam as a result thereof. Unfortunately, 276 girls are real victims in
this situation.
Sources:
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