14 Days to 4 Years of Captivity for 112 of Our #ChibokGirls

Easter is coming. Many are preparing for a celebration. Like the parents and families of our #ChibokGirls, we are heartbroken because it's 14 Days to 4 Years of captivity for 112 of our #ChibokGirls. Leah Sharibu, one of the #DapchiGirls and many other Nigerians are also in Boko Haram hands. Please redouble your efforts to ask for their rescue and reunification with their families.

#BringBackOurGirlsNYC:  WHAT YOU CAN DO

We initially witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of support from all over the world by ordinary people, students, politicians, community leaders and entertainers urging the world to '#bringbackourgirls'. This global activism fortified those within the country and kept the pressure on the Nigerian government to take credible action.  However, it has now been almost 4 years and many have forgotten about the plight of the Chibok Girls, 112 of whom remain in captivity.

More is needed today to remind the world that the #ChibokGirls are #NeverToBeForgotten!  Here’s what you can do!

1)     Additional pressure must be brought to bear on the Nigerian government to make the issue of the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons a priority; commit to greater transparency; and provide daily briefings where information can be shared with families of abductees and the general public.  As such, diplomatic missions and embassies around the world should be targeted for lobby visits, phone calls, and public demonstrations.  Please write to the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja, Nigeria (InformationOffice@state.gov) Telephone: (234)-9-461-4000; Fax: (234)-9-461-4036and ask him to demand that the Nigerian government move with urgency and make the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons in Nigeria a priority.

2)     International organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, as well as intergovernmental agencies like UN Women, 405 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 Tel: +1 646 781-4400 Fax: +1 646 781-4444, UN Office for the Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba – Under-Secretary-General 405 East 42nd St New York, NY 10017 Fax: 212-963-0807; Fabienne Vinet Tel: 212-963-5986, email: vinet@un.org. UN Office for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict led by Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten (andersonl@un.org); 212-963-0910, must continue to demand respect for the rule of law and the rights of women.  Please write to them and ask that they join the rallying cry for the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons in Nigeria.

3)     We applaud but urge additional efforts by the international community to host comprehensive dialogues on addressing extremism.  This global issue needs global responses that do not solely rely on militarized responses.  Please continue to rally, protest, march and create dialogue on this issue until the Chibok Girls are returned.

4)     As a diaspora, we appreciate the outpouring of help and support.  However, we want Nigeria to remain independent, autonomous, and sovereign.  We nonetheless encourage U.S. citizens to call their representatives to express appreciation for efforts already taken, while simultaneously urging greater action in partnership with the efforts of the Nigerian government which we believe should remain in the foreground in restoring these girls to normalcy and guaranteeing the security and well-being of all its people.

5)     Take a personal pledge to amplify the silenced voices of the Chibok Girls and/or become a #ChibokGirlsAmbassador until all the girls are returned home. 

15 Days to 4 years of Captivity for our #ChibokGirls

TODAY, Good Friday, it's 15 Days to 4 Years of captivity for 112 of our #ChibokGirls Leah Sharibu, one of the #DapchiGirls and many other Nigerians are also in Boko Haram hands. Please redouble your efforts to ask for their rescue and reunification with their families.

16 Days to 4 Years of Captivity for 112 of Our #ChibokGirls

In 16 Days, 112 of our #ChibokGirls would have been in Boko Haram captivity for 4 years. Leah Sharibu, one of the #DapchiGirls and many other Nigerians are also in Boko Haram hands. Please redouble your efforts to ask for their rescue and reunification with their families.

#BringBackOurGirlsNYC  

WHAT YOU CAN DO

We initially witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of support from all over the world by ordinary people, students, politicians, community leaders and entertainers urging the world to '#bringbackourgirls'. This global activism fortified those within the country and kept the pressure on the Nigerian government to take credible action.  However, it has now been almost 4 years and many have forgotten about the plight of the Chibok Girls, 112 of whom remain in captivity.

More is needed today to remind the world that the #ChibokGirls are #NeverToBeForgotten!  Here’s what you can do!

1)     Additional pressure must be brought to bear on the Nigerian government to make the issue of the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons a priority; commit to greater transparency; and provide daily briefings where information can be shared with families of abductees and the general public.  As such, diplomatic missions and embassies around the world should be targeted for lobby visits, phone calls, and public demonstrations.  Please write to the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja, Nigeria (InformationOffice@state.gov) Telephone: (234)-9-461-4000; Fax: (234)-9-461-4036and ask him to demand that the Nigerian government move with urgency and make the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons in Nigeria a priority.

2)     International organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, as well as intergovernmental agencies like UN Women, 405 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 Tel: +1 646 781-4400 Fax: +1 646 781-4444, UN Office for the Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba – Under-Secretary-General 405 East 42nd St New York, NY 10017 Fax: 212-963-0807; Fabienne Vinet Tel: 212-963-5986, email: vinet@un.org. UN Office for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict led by Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten (andersonl@un.org); 212-963-0910, must continue to demand respect for the rule of law and the rights of women.  Please write to them and ask that they join the rallying cry for the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons in Nigeria.

3)     We applaud but urge additional efforts by the international community to host comprehensive dialogues on addressing extremism.  This global issue needs global responses that do not solely rely on militarized responses.  Please continue to rally, protest, march and create dialogue on this issue until the Chibok Girls are returned.

4)     As a diaspora, we appreciate the outpouring of help and support.  However, we want Nigeria to remain independent, autonomous, and sovereign.  We nonetheless encourage U.S. citizens to call their representatives to express appreciation for efforts already taken, while simultaneously urging greater action in partnership with the efforts of the Nigerian government which we believe should remain in the foreground in restoring these girls to normalcy and guaranteeing the security and well-being of all its people.

5)     Take a personal pledge to amplify the silenced voices of the Chibok Girls and/or become a #ChibokGirlsAmbassador until all the girls are returned home. 

18 Days to 4 years of our #ChibokGirls Captivity

In 18 days, 112 of our #ChibokGirls would have been in Boko Haram captivity. Leah Sharibu who was abducted from Dapchi is also still in captivity, as are thousands of other Nigerians. Keep calling for their rescue and reunification with their families. Please also share with your social media and other networks. #BringBackOurGirls!

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: SOLIDARITY MESSAGE FROM PARENTS OF THE CHIBOK GIRLS

For release on March 24, 2018

PRESS RELEASE

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES

SOLIDARITY MESSAGE FROM PARENTS OF THE CHIBOK GIRLS

Speaking from the home of President Olusegun Obasanjo, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, due to his work behind the scenes supporting government efforts to secure the release of our children, we, the Chibok parents, express our joy at the release of the Dapchi Girls, our sorrow at the tragic loss of 5 girls, continued captivity of 112 of our daughters from Chibok, and 1 of our daughters from Dapchi.

The meeting with President Obasanjo is one of several meetings we will be having to seek advice and counsel, to garner high level support for unrelenting pressure to free our daughters.  Witnessing the happy return of the Dapchi girls by the government, has given us renewed hope that we will soon be reunited with our daughters after 4 years of agonising separation.  

Today, Saturday 24^th March, students around America and the world are raising their voices against violence in schools.  They are tired of seeing their classmates killed and living in fear. We, the Chibok parents, express our solidarity with all other parents affected by shootings, killings, and kidnappings in schools in Nigeria and elsewhere.  We join the students in their demands for a safe place to learn.

We believe these peaceful voices will galvanise action by the government and political leaders to protect students, ensure Safe School policies are implemented, and assure access to education without fear of violence.

As we know, only too well in Nigeria, violence against students in our country has assumed increasingly deadly dimensions.

§  On February 25, 2014, Boko Haram terrorists attacked Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State and killed 59 male students in cold blood. To date, their families have not recovered, and no one has even been arrested for the crime.

§  Barely two months later on April 14, 2014, the same terrorists invaded Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State and abducted 276 female students, our children.  While over 100 of the Chibok girls either escaped or were released through negotiation, 112 of our daughters remain in the clutches of the terrorists. There has only been one conviction in 2018.

§  In May 2017, six students of the Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe, Lagos State were kidnapped and only released after 65 days of trauma for the students and their families.

§  Only recently, on Feb 19, 2018, 110 students of the Government Girls’ Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State were kidnapped and held for 31 days.  5 girls tragically lost their lives, and one girl remains in captivity. 

We empathise with the traumatized parents of the returned girls, the deceased girls, and Leah Sharibu’s parents.  Sadly, we are intimately familiar, with what they are experiencing now.  Twenty one days from now on April 14^th, 2018 it will be exactly 4 years since our children were forcibly removed from the school where we thought they would be safe.

We are glad that our solidarity visit to Dapchi on Wednesday 21^st March, coincided with the safe return of 105 girls and one boy.  We pray that others will also be there to share in our own joy when our girls come back home.

We call on national, regional and global influencers and authorities to support the Nigerian government to bring our nightmare to an end, and to take measures so that we can send our remaining children to school with peace of mind, and give them an opportunity for a better future.

We thank President Obasanjo for inviting us to sit with him and benefit from his advice and counsel.  They say that it takes a village to raise a child; we call on our entire nation to pray for us and our daughters, to work together with the government, and use whatever contacts and resources you have to urgently bring our girls home safely before. 

For: Association of Parents of Chibok Girls

Signed:

Yakubu Nkeki             Yana Galang               Zanna Lawan

Rescue our #ChibokGirls #BringBackOurGirls

Yesterday, October 11, 2017, was the International Day of the Girl Child. There are 1.1 billion girls in the world, and we must nurture, love, and enable them all to reach their full potential. The theme this year is: "EmPOWER girls: Before, during and after conflict". Thus, our #ChibokGirls' issues are front and center of the agenda for girls.  

We know that the #ChibokGirls who have been rescued thus far are going to college, but 113 are still in captivity.  There are also thousands of other girls and women still held by Boko Haram.  Even those in college still need excellent, long-term culturally appropriate psychosocial care in order to be successful.  

The government of Nigeria promises to rescue the 113 remaining in Boko Haram captivity. We are still waiting.  Here's a bit of news on that government commitment:

 Again, Nigerian govt expresses commitment to return of Chibok girls

Congratulations to Dr. Natalia Kanem, the new Executive Director of UNFPA, which has been an ally in providing services for women and girls worldwide.  We trust that she will lead UNFPA efforts to continue and expand psychosocial support for our girls and women in the Northeast of Nigeria.

Please continue to advocate for the rescue of our #ChibokGirls and all abducted Nigerians.

Rejoicing with rescued girl. FGN must rescue all other captives

In yesterday's post I was joyful about the rescue of one of our #ChibokGirls. Today, the news is that she is not one of the 113 still in captivity: Nigeria's Chibok girls: Schoolgirl 'not one of 276'






Nonetheless, we rejoice with her family. She's one of thousands in captivity even though she's not one of our 113 #ChibokGirls. They all must be rescued. 

The BBC gives an excellent account of how the situation has unfolded thus far:

The fate of the Chibok girls

The Federal Government of Nigeria under the Muhammad Buhari administration is to be commended for continued efforts to rescue and negotiate the release of our #ChibokGirls and all abducted Nigerians. However, we urge the redoubling of efforts to rescue them all, and to bring peace and security to the Northeast where there are millions of people facing humanitarian crisis.  None of us is secure if some of us are insecure.

Another Chibok Schoolgirl Rescued, joining 82 released earlier

Another Chibok Schoolgirl Rescued

The news about the rescue of one more of our #ChibokGirls gives cause for optimism on the release/rescue of the 112 #ChibokGirls still in captivity.  The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is to be commended for its promise to #BringBackOurGirls. We urge that it redoubles the efforts to rescue them and all other abducted Nigerians from captivity. As the rescue or release happens, we urge the FGN to develop a comprehensive framework for cutting edge psychosocial care and long term support that create conditions for recovery as well as enhanced capacity to resume a modicum of normalcy in their lives.

It's wonderful that this young woman now joins the 82 of our #ChibokGirls who were released earlier this month, after negotiations undertaken by the ICRC on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria. We rejoice with them and their families. We hope that they will receive culturally appropriate psychosocial care that enables them to cope with the grave trauma experienced for over 3 years. 

The photo below shows the 82 young women with President Muhammadu Buhari and members of his cabinet.

This photo below is while they were waiting to be airlifted 

Below is while they were getting on helicopters that airlifted them.

We are happy to hear that our #ChibokGirls82 will be reunited with their families.  FG to reunite 82 Chibok girls with parents

To reiterate: It's important that these young women are given the best psychosocial care possible so they can regain a modicum of normalcy in their lives. It's great that UNFPA and UNICEF as well as other international agencies have expressed their readiness to help in this regard.  The Nigerian government should continue to take advantage of their offer.  However, it should also have its own comprehensive framework that gives an overarching structure to the relief work in the Northeast.  Below is the UNFPA's statement on this: 

Director's Statement and UNFPA Press Release on the Release of 82 Chibok Girls

Monday, 8 May 2017

Statement by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the UN Population Fund, on Release of 82 Chibok Girls

UNITED NATIONS, New York, 8 May 2017 –We, at UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, welcome the recent release of 82 more Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram. We call for the urgent release of the remaining girls and all other abductees.

UNFPA is fully prepared to provide the released girls with emergency reproductive health care, psychosocial counselling and other critical support. We have already deployed an emergency team of psychosocial counsellors and health professionals to help meet the freed girls’ critical needs.

UNFPA is already providing care and rehabilitation support to the 21 girls released last October. The Fund stands ready to extend such vital support to these 82 girls, as well as any others who may be released in the future.  

***

UNFPA on Standby to Provide Psychosocial Support, Reproductive Health Care to Just-Freed Chibok Girls

UNITED NATIONS, New York/Abuja, 8 May 2017—UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, welcomes the release of an additional 82 Chibok girls who were abducted by the Boko Haram group, and is on standby to provide emergency reproductive health care, psychosocial counselling and other critical support to the survivors.

In partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, UNFPA continues to support women and girls who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. For the newly released Chibok girls, UNFPA has deployed an emergency team of psychosocial counsellors and health professionals to assist with the profiling of the girls, so their critical needs can be met.

The newly-released girls will also be part of a similar rehabilitation programme that was set up for the 21 Chibok girls who were released in October 2016. The programme is tailor-made to meet each girl’s specific needs of counselling, to help overcome the trauma endured after being held under captivity for more than three years. The programme includes, among others, access to quality education to bridge the learning gap created during the abduction, access to reproductive health care for their sexual well-being and rehabilitation support, and a skills-acquisition programme to ease their re-integration into their society. 

Since the start of the insurgency in the North-East of Nigeria, 6 in 10 girls are reported to have experienced a form of gender-based violence, and many have limited access to sexual and reproductive health care. UNFPA and partners have provided direct prevention and response services to 200,000 women and girl survivors, or at risk of gender-based violence through, its ‘safe spaces’ and community outreach. More than 3.5 million survivors have been reached with sexual and reproductive health care services, psychosocial support and counselling.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, delivers a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

In New York: Omar Gharzeddine, +1 212 297 5028, gharzeddine@unfpa.org

In Abuja: Lolade Johnson, Tel.: +234 705 111 1200, odaniel@unfpa.org

Kori Habib Tel.: Tel.: +234 803 450 0016, habib@unfpa.org

UNICEF's statement is as follows:
ABUJA, Nigeria, 7 May 2017 – “UNICEF welcomes Saturday’s release of over 80 of the girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents at their school in Chibok over three years ago.
“It is heartening to know that the girls will be returning to their families who have been waiting for this day. They will face a long and difficult process to rebuild their lives after the indescribable horror and trauma they have suffered at the hands of Boko Haram.
"UNICEF is on standby to support the Nigerian authorities to provide the comprehensive psychosocial support and other specialized services needed. We will help reunite the girls with their families and make sure they can continue their education in a safe environment. Already staff at a UNICEF supported health clinic have been supporting immediate efforts to identify the girls and conduct medical check-ups before their onward transport.
“UNICEF calls on Boko Haram to end all grave violations against children, especially the abduction of children and the sexual abuse and forced marriage of girls.
“We commend the government for this important achievement in helping to protect children impacted by the conflict in northeast Nigeria but remain deeply concerned for the thousands of women and children still held in captivity by Boko Haram. Greater efforts must be made to bring them all to safety and home to their families.”
“UNICEF has a comprehensive response to help children who have been affected by the conflict in the Lake Chad Basin and works with national authorities to support hundreds of children and women who have escaped or been released from Boko Haram. Every child is unique and requires different levels of support, so there is no standard formula or defined timeframe for these children to recover. UNICEF is committed to doing whatever it takes, as long as it takes to help these children recover a sense of normalcy with our available resources.”
We should thank UNFPA and UNICEF but also keep reminding them of their promise.  Let's also not forget that 113 #ChibokGirls and thousands of Nigerian women and children remain in Boko Haram captivity.  Please continue to agitate for their rescue.
We are saddened that 112 of our #ChibokGirls remain in Boko Haram captivity. We can't imagine how their parents and families are feeling and are praying for the rescue of these 112 #ChibokGirls and all other Nigerians who remain in captivity. May God bless and strengthen them until they are rescued, hopefully sooner rather than later.

It's also important to realize that the humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram goes beyond our #ChibokGirls.  For a good discussion on this, please read the UNICEF April 2016 report,  Beyond Chibok 

  

New Working Paper "Fleeing Boko Haram: The trauma of captivity & challenge of freedom"

TODAY it's 9 days to #Year3 of our #ChibokGirls abduction.  Two days ago, a Working Paper "Fleeing Boko Haram: The trauma of captivity & challenge of freedom" was published by Social Science Research Council's (SSRC) African Peacebuilding Network (APN). #BringBackOurGirls.  There have been earlier iterations.  

FLEEING BOKO HARAM: THE TRAUMA OF CAPTIVITY AND CHALLENGE OF FREEDOM 

MOJÚBÀOLÚ OLÚFÚNKÉ OKOME

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL | WORKING PAPERS 

AFRICAN PEACEBUILDING NETWORK APN WORKING PAPERS: NO. 11 

Here's the introduction:

Captivity and freedom are seen as opposites. To be captive is to be imprisoned, detained, confined. To be free is to have liberty, autonomy, free will. It seems logical to associate captivity with trauma, and freedom with an end to trauma. However, enduring elements of trauma challenge the notion of freedom, especially when considering possible psychological effects of long-term captivity. The assumption that the cessation of captivity and experience of freedom constitutes a peaceful, joyful, and self-determining existence may be highly problematic, as may be the social implications of freedom and the impact of responses by others to a person once in captivity but now “free.” This article conceives of the route traversed from captivity to freedom by the victims of Boko Haram (including the young female students abducted from a school in Chibok) as akin to walking a tightrope—a tense, tenuous, perilous, unstable process. It is not impossible to get to freedom, but successfully traversing the tightrope may require unbelievable, extraordinary luck. The surest way to get through is to have the requisite training. Experience also helps. The experience necessary for surmounting the odds need not be experience of abduction and its horrors, but experience with strategies on how to cope with trauma. Such strategies can be provided through culturally appropriate psychosocial support.

The full paper is available at:

http://www.ssrc.org/publications/view/fleeing-boko-haram-the-trauma-of-captivity-and-challenge-of-freedom/

#Countdownto3Years of our #ChibokGirls abduction

14 April 2014 when our #ChibokGirls were snatched is a “day that will live in infamy”

195 of them remain in captivity, together with thousands of other women and children.

Let's work together to call for their rescue and reunification with their families.

 #CountdownTo3YEARS #BBOG

#InternationalWomensDay Happy International Women's Day! #BringBackOurGirls

Happy International Women's Day!  #BringBackOurGirls!

Remembering Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, a formidable woman who fought colonialism & patriarchy. 

"You may have been born but not bred! Would you speak to your mother like that?"  Funmilayo Ransome Kuti to a British District Officer during the colonial era, in response to his telling Abeokuta women demonstrators: "shut up, you women!"

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was also Fela's mother, and mother of Olikoye Ransome Kuti, Beko Ransome Kuti and Dolupo Ransome Kuti. She was Wole Soyinka's aunt. For snippets on her, see: 

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti from a UNESCO site; and/or 

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti *Note that Fela was following his mother's example though, not the other way around. 

You can read about her on wikipedia: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti 

You can also read a bit about her and other Nigerian women activists in my chapter, “Unknown Soldier”: Women’s Radicalism, Activism and State Violence In 20th Century Nigeria at googlebooks. 

Google Books doesn't let you read the whole chapter, so, if you're interested, you can read this draft from this blog: “Unknown Soldier”: Women’s Radicalism and Activism and State Violence In 20th Century Nigeria. 

For an excellent book length study, see For Women and the Nation: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti of Nigeria by Cheryl Johnson-Odim and Nina Emma Mba.  

I'm also remembering Margaret Ekpo, pioneer in Nigerian politics & powerful women's rights activist.

For more information on Margaret Ekpo, see Women, Conflict and Politics: Assessing Margaret Ekpo’s Approach to Political Emancipation and Liberation in Nigeria by Nonso N. Bisonga and  E. E. Andrew­Essien

You can also see more about her on wikipedia: Margaret Ekpo

And NATIONAL HERO: Chief Mrs Margaret Ekpo Full Biography, Life And Works

#InternationalWomensDay

So today, International Women's Day, let's channel the spirits of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti and Margaret Ekpo as we keep demanding: #BringBackOurGirls!

There's a women's strike today in the US.  I can't participate because I must teach.  But in my International Relations class, I'll do a teach-in on the Feminist critique of International Relations. In my African Gender Politics class, we'll do the usual--deconstruct, excavate, interrrogate the nature of patriarchy and women's resistance in its multiple forms. In solidarity with the sisters protesting, I will Wear RED in honor of International Women's Day.  I encourage you to do something too. Here's a link to information about the Women's March at noon in NYC today: NYC Women's March. Another Day Without Women March is scheduled for 4 pm 

Happy International Women's Day! #BringBackOurGirls!