#BringBackOurGirls
- cysdsites
- Oct 9, 2015
- 3 min read
Yvonne Peters-Washington
On April 14, 2014, 276 schoolgirls were abducted from their school in Chibok Borno State, Nigeria.
The abductors belong to a terrorist union, Boko Haram, that is responsible for terrorizing much of Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Boko Haram is a sect of Islam that attributes their actions to the downfall of western civilization. “It is believed that the Boko Haram camps in the Sambisa Forest, a forest near the border between Nigeria and Chad,” said Daniel Ajayi Iseunife, a local Nigerian. Daniel is 18-years-old and has lived in Nigeria his entire life, except for two semesters abroad in Pennsylvania.
During the first six months preceding the abduction, enraged nations around the world spoke out and extended their deepest condolences to the families’ affected. Many nations held rallies in order to promote awareness of the abduction, as well as raise money to use for the search efforts. Prayer sessions were held across the globe in spirit of the girls’ healthy return. “We always talk about and relate certain prayers to them [the girls],” said Ujuneue Ahene, a senior at Central York High School. Although Ahene does not personally know any of the girls abducted, her family still keeps the girls in their thoughts.
In addition to national government and civilian efforts, many celebrities did their part in supporting the movement using social media as a force. Celebrities such as Justin Timberlake, Usher, Ellen, Malala Yousafzai and First Lady Michelle Obama. All made use of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Twitter was a buzz as celebrities across the world held signs with the hashtag “#bringbackourgirls.” This hashtag was used whenever someone wanted to raise awareness or send love and prayers to Nigeria.
The use of social media and the constant news coverage pressured the Nigerian government to put most of their resources towards finding the girls.
As time passed, the media started covering different aspects of the story such the motives for attacking the school, conspiracy theories against the Nigerian government, and relief efforts.
After about nine months of covering the story and following the efforts, the twitter buzz had stopped, the media moved on, and celebrities stopped raising awareness.
The chatter has stopped 525 days later, the girls forgotten, and none have been rescued. 14 girls have managed to escape, but due to the violent nature of their kidnappers, they are unable to give any details about where they were being held, as they are still in shock.
There are still active members in Nigeria fighting for the girls to be found and returned as it is widely believed the Nigerian government knows where the girls are, but have a deal with Boko Haram in order to maintain peace between the terrorist group and themselves.
The Bring Back Our Girls campaign revolves around the “Bring Back Our Girls, Now And Alive” statement.
The world has seemingly forgotten about girls therefore the hashtag “nevertobeforgotten” has emerged in hopes of igniting the flames of awareness.
Social media become a huge part of the relief efforts, yet the lack of situation’s social media presence lately has lead to the public forgetting about the girls.
In high hopes the Bring Back Our Girls campaign continues to be active on Twitter and the web, they have a website explaining the situation in depth and ways people can help with search efforts.