One year, and one day ago, nearly 300 Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria. Their only crime: they were trying to get an education. Today, two of the girls who managed to escape joined with Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Karen Bass (CA-13) and Lois Frankel (FL-22) and supporters at the United States Capitol to call for a coordinated international effort to return those still held captive to their homes.

Congresswoman Lois Frankel said, “This kidnapping received international attention for a short time and then, like the girls, disappeared.  A year later, they remain hidden and subjected to unimaginable crimes. I call on the new Nigerian government to do all it can to bring these girls home." 

“Roughly translated, Boko Haram means ‘Western education is forbidden’,” said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. “These girls, between the ages of 16 and 18, were kidnapped from their school. Some were forced into marriage with terrorists, many were likely killed, and thankfully a few escaped. We have an obligation to stand up for those who remain in captivity. We must bring these terrorists to justice. We cannot accept a world where horrific acts are carried out against young girls just because they want an education.”

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson said, “We have not forgotten the girls and the world must not forget about them! I will continue to call attention to the atrocities committed by Boko Haram, call for the return of the kidnapped girls, and hold Nigeria’s leaders accountable. Unfortunately, Boko Haram’s reign of terror continues. Approximately 1.5 million people have been displaced from their homes and are being forced to live as refugees, including thousands of children who have been separated from their families. We owe it to the girls, their families, and the people of Nigeria to end this nightmare, eradicate Boko Haram, and #BringBackOurGirls.”

“It’s been a long, heartbreaking year since the Chibok girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram. One year on, we have not forgotten these girls. Around the world, people are marching sending messages of support on social media. The clear message: ‘We have not forgotten; we remember and we want these girls brought home,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “These girls were abducted from their school because they were seeking an education. No girl or young woman should have to choose between their education and the threat of violence or modern day slavery. We must recommit ourselves to ensuring access to an education for all and ending human trafficking in all its forms.”

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee said, “In the one year since Boko Haram extremists kidnapped more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls, some of their parents have died. We must Bring Back Our Girls Now!!!!!!! To put an end to this senseless violence I proposed that a victims fund be created immediately for these girls and their families. I am glad to see that the President of Nigeria has agreed to establish such a fund. I am hopeful that the Victims Support Fund Committee will commence an aggressive investigatory inquiry into the whereabouts of the girls.”

“Today is a solemn occasion as the world marks the one-year anniversary that the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 girls in Nigeria, and I join my fellow members of Congress and people around the world in continuing our commitment to rescue and bring back our girls,” said Congresswoman Karen Bass.  “Children's rights are human rights, and one year after their kidnapping we are committed as ever to ensuring that girls and young women around the world be allowed to go to school peacefully and free from intimidation, persecution and violence. As we mark this anniversary I remain committed as ever to fighting Boko Haram, whose members have killed, kidnapped and wreaked terror on too many people for wanting to get an education.”

Participants in the event were dressed in red to mark the anniversary of the kidnapping. In a similar event, Maloney joined advocates in New York City on Monday for a rally near the United Nations. On Tuesday, April 14 the Empire State Building was lit Red and Purple in recognition of the #BringBackOurGirls effort.

Background:

On April 14, 2014 around 11:45pm 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the Chibok Government Secondary School in Nigeria by Boko Haram terrorists. Several gunmen reportedly dressed in army camouflage stormed the school under the guise of protecting the students against an imminent insurgent attack. The gunmen claimed to be there to bring the girls to safe locations and ushered them into several vehicles. After the school was emptied the buildings were razed to the ground. On May 5th Abukakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, released a video claiming responsibility for the abduction.

Although 57 girls were able to escape into the brush at night after the vehicle transporting them broke down, 219 of the girls are still missing and are believed to have been forcibly married off to Boko Haram soldiers or enslaved. There are reports that some of the girls are in Chad, Cameroon, or Niger Republic.

On April 6, 2015, This Day Live, a Nigerian newspaper reported that some of the Chibok Girls may have been slaughtered last month in Borno State (located in North-Eastern Nigeria) by Boko Haram terrorists as they fled from Bama and other towns in advance of the Nigerian Military recovering the territories. As of right now it is unclear whether the murdered girls are the Chibok girls or other women forcibly married to Boko Haram fighters.

Photos will be posted later today on Rep. Maloney’s flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/repmaloney/

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