Weeks ago, 300 girls from Africa went to school on what they thought would be a day like any other. Only it wasn’t.
Things in Nigeria erupted in chaos after the children were kidnapped by an African terrorist group called Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful.” Authorities have learned who kidnapped the girls after a video created by Boko Haram was released. The African terrorist group took full responsibility, claiming their actions were Allah’s.
According to online sources, the teenage girls were kidnapped for several reasons, including money that Boko Haram will earn for selling the girls into marriage or slavery. Additionally, the terrorist group is trying to eliminate as many school girls as possible because they believe that educating females is a sin.
It is hard to believe that we live in the 21st century and there are still people and places in the world where education is undervalued, where slavery still exists, and where fear is a daily reality. This is certainly the case in Nigeria and for these girls.
The families of these young women have done absolutely nothing wrong except expect that their daughters deserve an education. They believe education is paramount for them, especially in areas where conditions are dangerous and the risks numerous, like the ones found in Nigeria. It is often the only hope these people have to survive or rise above the conditions in which they find themselves.
There has been a ton of help from all different nations with the same goal of getting the young girls back home to their families. The U.S. is helping with surveillance and air force reinforcement, and other nations are providing military support and providing supplies needed for locating the girls.
Receiving news that the girls are “somewhat safe” is good, but certainly it is not enough. Negotiating with terrorists should not be an option. These girls need and deserve to home. They have already been subject to unspeakable trauma, and the longer they are gone, the more likely it is that the damage will be even more devastating.
Authorities claim they will not attack the terrorist group responsible because of the consequences that could ensue, like the girls being killed in the aftermath. But time is ticking and no one knows what is going to happen next.because nobody knows what Boko Haram is capable of doing.
This is NOT just another news story that happened ; these are real people, real young women who value the opportunity to be educated. These girls are a prime example of how breaking through religious barriers and the social rules of a country, can lead to devastation, and we owe them our attention, support, and encouragement. Don’t let the fate of these 300 young women rest in the hands of an uninformed public or a sensationalized media.