Chibok girls kidnapping – Third anniversary, Friday 14 April 2017
UN experts mark third anniversary of Nigeria kidnapping with new plea for “forgotten” Chibok girls
GENEVA (12 April 2017) – A fresh appeal is being made to the Nigerian Government by UN human rights experts* to take all
necessary measures to rescue 195 girls still missing after they were kidnapped in 2014 from their secondary school in
Chibok, northeastern Nigeria.
“It is deeply shocking that three years after this deplorable and devastating act of violence, the majority of the girls
remain missing,” said the UN Special Rapporteurs, who visited Nigeria last year.
The girls were among 276 students abducted at gunpoint on 14 April 2014 by the Boko Haram militant group. The experts
welcomed the release of 21 of the captives in October 2016 as “a positive step forward and a chance for them to start
their long journey to recovery and rehabilitation”.
But they stressed: “As more and more time passes there is a risk that the fate of the remaining girls will be forgotten.
We cannot allow this to happen. There must be more that the Government of Nigeria, with the support of the international
community, can do to locate and rescue them.
“Their continued captivity is a source of immense pain for their families and communities, and is simply unacceptable,”
the experts added.
“We must also remember that the Chibok girls are not the only ones who have been suffering such violence at the hands of
Boko Haram. As outlined in the report produced after our visit to Nigeria, thousands of women and children are thought
to have been abducted since 2012.
“We must make sure that all possible measures are taken to locate and rescue all of them from abuse at the hands of Boko
Haram,” they stressed.
“It is also vital to remember that release is just the first step that the Chibok girls and others captured by Boko
Haram must take in order to start rebuilding their lives. Rehabilitation and reintegration is not easy and we must
ensure that all those rescued are provided with all necessary support. This must include working with the communities
and securing access to justice.
“A comprehensive approach to addressing challenges in northeastern Nigeria would provide an opportunity not only to
reintegrate the women and children affected by Boko Haram but also to strengthen the health and educational sectors
which are crucial for peace, security and sustainable development in Nigeria,” concluded the experts.
(*) The UN experts: Ms. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children; Ms. Urmila Bhoola, Special
Rapporteur on slavery; Mr. Dainius Pūras, Special Rapporteur on the right to health; Ms. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro,
Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Ms. Dubravka Šimonović, Special Rapporteur
on violence against women, its causes and consequences; and Ms. Alda Facio, current Chair-Rapporteur of the Working
Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice.
ENDS