To date, not ONE girl has been rescued — save for 57 girls who escaped on their own — while 219 girls remain in captivity.
Eleven parents have died.
Sometime in May, Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff said they were aware of the girls’ location. Since then, there have been no updates.
In spite of this, the #BringBackOurGirls campaign has done the following in the last six months:
– Crowdsourced “Citizens’ Solutions to End Terrorism”
– Engaged the National Security Adviser’s Office
– Met with the Chief of Defense Staff
– Met with the Borno State Governor and other State Governors
– Engaged the United Nations
– Met with parents of our Chibok girls
– Met with some of the girls that escaped
– Prayed and cried
– Made new friends across religious & ethnic divides
– Met daily in Abuja since April 30th
– Met weekly in Ibadan & Lagos for more than three months and more recently in Osogbo
– Marched in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abeokuta, London, D.C., N.Y., Atlanta, L.A., Jo’burg, and Accra to name a few
– Attempted to meet with the President
But through it all, the girls remain alone, afraid, and captive!
As the United Nations marks the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11th, the #BringBackOurGirls campaign and the families of the abducted girls are calling for a Global Week of Action from October 11 – 18 to mobilize everyone around the world to demand for the immediate rescue of the Chibok girls and end this tragedy.
In the last six months, three groups of people have exhibited immense courage as they’ve continued to champion the cause of the Chibok girls: a) The escaped girls who returned to school last month despite all that they’ve been through; b) Parents of the Chibok girls and the Chibok community who continue to hold on to the belief that their daughters are not dead and the Nigerian government should protect them; and c) Nigerian citizens and friends of Nigeria around the world who have maintained the singular cry, “Bring Back Our Girls Now & Alive!”
Despite insults, loss of income, threats to life, and sacrifices of time and resources, these aforementioned groups continue to stand by the Chibok girls.
In the call to action, the #BringBackOurGirls Campaign released a statement on Monday, saying:
“How can the world move on without 219 promising young women whose zeal for education should be an example for girls everywhere in the world. We cannot afford for girls and parents anywhere in the world to be forced to choose between education and personal safety.
“We therefore make this global call to all political leaders, the United Nations, civil society groups, religious leaders, development partners, celebrities, and all well-meaning individuals to come out en-masse during this Global Week of Action and raise their voices to demand renewed actions for the immediate rescue of our Chibok girls.
“We ask that various on-the-ground activities and the social media be used to show support and solidarity for #ChibokGirls.”
Significant Dates To Come:
Wednesday, October 1st – Nigeria’s 54th Independence Day, in the year of Nigeria’s Centenary Celebrations and 170 days since 276 girls were abducted by the Boko Haram sect from their school – Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria.
Saturday, October 11th – International Day of the Girl Child & 180 days since the abduction.
For more information on what you can do, visit www.bringbackourgirls.ng.
SEE ALSO: Big Win for Nigeria: Fake Boko Haram Leader Killed, Hundreds of Insurgents Surrender
