World
World Marks One Year Since Nigerian Girls’ Abduction
In this Monday, May 5, 2014 file photo, women attend a demonstration calling on the government to rescue kidnapped school girls of a government secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria, in Lagos. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)
(USA Today) – People worldwide are marking one year since Boko Haram militants abducted nearly 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria, sparking global outrage.
The girls were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, in the northeast of the country, leading millions around the world to call for their return as the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag exploded on social media.
A number of girls later escaped the militants — who often force those abducted to convert to Islam and fight or work as sex slaves — but 219 remain missing.
A march and vigil were being held in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Tuesday, with 219 girls taking part to represent each of the missing.
The Empire State Building in New York City will be lit up in purple and red after sunset Tuesday, during the hours the girls were snatched. Activists are using slogans including “Bring Back Our Girls Now” and “Never to be Forgotten.”
