UN child rights envoy demands insurgent group release abducted Nigerian schoolgirls
May 8, 2014:United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s top envoy on children and
armed conflict expressed deep concern about the fate of the 234 girls violently abducted
from their school in in mid-April by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria’s crisis-riven
Borno State, and deplored the group’s reported abduction Tuesday of several more
girls. "I am appalled by these attacks and I am in solidarity with the victims
and their families in this tragedy. I strongly condemn the statement by video of
the supposed leader of Boko Haram, which claimed that the abducted girls be sold,
possibly for forced marriages, "said Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative for
Children and Armed Conflict, in a press release. Ms. Zerrougui said she and the
Special Representatives including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi
Pillay, had contacted the Nigerian Government to urge it to redouble efforts to secure
the release of these girls. "In the coming days, I will continue the dialogue
with the Government of Nigeria. I welcome the commitment of world leaders and I call
on the international community to support the Government of Nigeria in its efforts
to recover abducted girls, "said Ms. Zerrougui. "Every child, regardless of
gender, ethnic origin, social status, language, nationality or religion, has the
right to education and to live without fear of violence," she declared.