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Boko Haram kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls a major setback for girls' education

Parents of the hundreds of abducted girls spend another day in agony, as the leader of Boko Haram taunts Nigerians with threats to sell the girls into sexual slavery. In a country where girls are already shut out of education in high numbers, this could mean fewer girls will brave the classroom....
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Parents of the hundreds of abducted girls spend another day in agony, as the leader of Boko Haram taunts Nigerians with threats to sell the girls into sexual slavery. In a country where girls are already shut out of education in high numbers, this could mean fewer girls will brave the classroom.

We cannot just leave our enemy to keep doing what they want to do. We have to fight them. We have to stand. We have to have a voice. If we cannot do anything about this, we cannot imagine what they will do tomorrow. They say the north is backward for education, especially girl child, so you can imagine it can even create more fear and more girls will not go to school.An upset protestor in Nigeria's capital, Abuja

This upset protester in the Nigerian capital of Abuja is typical of many of the country's citizens, frantic over the lost students. 276 schoolgirls remain missing following a mass abduction in mid-April by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram. Eight more were reportedly abducted today. Yesterday, the group's leader not only took responsibility for the mass abduction, Abubakar Shekau threatened more kidnappings. He calls the teenagers slaves to be sold.

The story grabbed the world's attention following a social media campaign and worldwide protests under the banner Bring Back Our Girls. Critics say Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has done little to save the girls, or even slow Boko Haram's deadly attacks. The name Boko Haram roughly translates as "Western education is sin." This latest attack makes it even harder for Nigerian children, especially girls, to go to school.

Boko Haram has successfully deterred many children from attending schools in Nigeria's north. But the country's educational record is hardly stellar. It's one of the only countries in the world where the state of education has declined over the past decade.

  • Mausi Segun is the Nigeria Researcher for Human Rights Watch. We reached her in Ajuba.
  • David Archer is the head of program development at Action Aid and a board member of the Global Campaign for Education. He joined us from London, England.

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This segment was produced by The Current's Lara O'Brien, Idella Sturino, and intern Deanne Bender.

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