2014-05-08 17:02:04

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.‎










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