On 15th April this year, around 230 girls were kidnapped from their school by an extremist group. The 11th September marks 150 days since their capture, and it's thought that 180 girls are still missing. Why? Why has it taken so long? Is it because they're Nigerian? Would 180 British or American girls be left for almost 5 months? It's wrong for us to measure someone's worth based on their ethnicity or nationality. Is it because they're girls? Do they not hold the same value and significance as boys? All they'd ever become is wives and mothers, so why the panic? Well, let me be the first to say that these girls are precious, and valuable, and full of so much potential.
These girls were taken against their will. The extremist militants who kidnapped them are known as Boko Haram which means "Western/Non-Islamic education is a sin". They don't believe that girls should be allowed to attend school. A woman's 'place' is the home, serving her husband and bearing him children. But maybe the real reason is because they are scared of the potential that girls hold. Educate girls and you empower them. In school, girls thrive, and they dream, and they create ambitions and ideas. Maybe the real reason is that they feel threatened by the girls. That they will rise up and show that actually, they are just as intelligent and valuable and important as boys.
However Boko Haram have robbed these 180 girls of such expression and growth. They claimed them as if they were merely a possession, like a misplaced jacket in lost property. They have stolen their voices and taken their freedom. Which is why it is so important for us to take action. In a culture of social media, our voices echo even louder. We must demand justice for these girls and their families. In Apirl, when the kidnapped occured, a campaign emerged titled 'Bring Back Our Girls'. Not long before our Facebook walls were full of 'no make up selfies' raising awareness and money for Breast Cancer Support. My friend Anna and I had seen the success of that and wanted to apply the same idea. We took photos of ourselves holding a sign bearing #bringbackourgirls and uploaded it to Facebook and Twitter.
We took photos of everyone who was round our house and encouraged our friends to get involved. Now I'm not claiming that I'm best pals with the Obamas but later that evening, Michelle Obama uploaded a photo supporting the girls. Malala Yousafzai, Dwayne Johnson and Cara Delevingne were just some of the those who shared photos showing their support.
It seemed the world was up in arms about this, and we all waited for the news that the girls had returned home. But the news never came. After a week or so, people started to forget. #bringbackourgirls was no longer trending. People stopped talking. News readers stopped reporting. The 180 missing Nigerian girls became another statistic.
But today we stand up and we say that 150 days is too long. We refuse to regard these girls as just as number. As anything less than precious girls with names and minds and lives. We ask our government to keep up the pressure on the Nigerian government, and to offer support where it is necessary. We want these girls returned home safely. We want their village returned to peace.
Bring back our girls.
You can read more about the girls and get involved with the campaign here:
www.facebook.com/bringbackourgirls
www.girlsb.org.uk/a-message-of-hope-_531
www.opendoorsuk.org/news/support
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