COMMUNITY VOICES | Statement of the Igbo Women League of Minnesota regarding the abduction of over 200 school girls from their school in Chibok, Bornno State, Nigeria
|
The Igbo Women League of Minnesota (IWL) strongly condemns the abduction, by a militant group, of over 200, 12 to 17 year old girls from their school dormitory in Chibok, Borno State, in Nigeria on the night of April 14, 2014. Acts like this are not only criminal, but they are also inhumane and violate the victims’ basic human rights.IWL has dedicated over 20 years to the cause of girl-child education in Nigeria in different ways including offering scholarships to girls from low income families. These violent attacks, if not checked, will undoubtedly adversely affect the current efforts, made by many, to encourage and sustain the education of girls in Nigeria. As the UN Secretary General has stated in reaction to the abduction, “Schools are and must remain places of safety and security, where children can learn and grow in peace. Girls and young women must be allowed to go to school without fear of violence and unjust treatment so that they can play their rightful role as equal citizens of the world.”We urge the people who abducted these children to immediately release them so they can be returned to their parents. We are calling on the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to do the right thing. Continue Reading