It’s been a week since more than 200 girls were abducted from a school located in Chibok, Nigeria. The girls were taken from their class at gunpoint and thrown into trucks and vans. The school was then set on fire, and all that remains is a shell of a building. School principal Asabe Kwambura told the Associated Press that 43 students are currently accounted for, but 230 are still missing.
It’s suspected that the group responsible for their abduction is Boko Haram, the al-Qaida-linked jihadi group. According to The Guardian, Boko Haram was also responsible for murdering 59 students in February. In the latest tragedy, it is considered particularly odd that the girls were called to school to take an exam when other schools were closed because of security reasons.
In response to the kidnappings, a social media campaign to draw more attention to the missing girls has gone viral. But #BringBackOurGirls was launched not only to highlight the lack of media attention the story has received but also in hopes of saving the lives of the young girls:
Parents of the girls have joined forces to search for the children on their own, because they have lost confidence in the Nigerian military and government. One can only hope the girls are returned safely.
Yesha Callahan is editor of The Grapevine and a staff writer at The Root. Follow her on Twitter.
Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.