MEDIA STATEMENT: ABDUCTION OF 315 SCHOOLGIRLS AND WOMEN IN NIGERIA
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The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) expresses its deepest alarm and unequivocal condemnation of the abduction of 315 schoolgirls and teachers from St Mary's Catholic School in north-central Nigeria over the weekend. This horrifying incident perpetrated in a context of escalating violence against women and girls represents yet another assault on the rights, dignity, and safety of young girls in Nigeria.
According to reports, armed assailants abducted 303 school children, aged between 10 and 18, and 12 teachers from the boarding school. This is not an isolated event. Rather, it is part of a long-term pattern of violence targeting women and girls characterised by abductions, forced marriage, sexual violence, and terror-driven coercion. Such atrocities have become tragically common across northern Nigeria, devastating families and destabilising entire communities.
This mass abduction occurs on the eve of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a period dedicated to mobilising global action to end violence against women and girls. Instead of progress, we are confronted with yet another painful reminder that gender-based violence remains an escalating human rights crisis across the continent.
The abduction of these young girls is not just an attack on their future; it is an affront to our shared humanity. As we mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we are reminded that our commitments are meaningless if girls cannot attend school safely. CSVR urges urgent, coordinated action to ensure the immediate return of these children and their teachers, safeguard all girls across the region, and offer psychosocial support to families facing overwhelming fear and uncertainty. Africa must unite – governments, civil society, and communities – to end these cycles of violence against women and girls,
CSVR calls for the following:
1. Immediate and Decisive Leadership CSVR urges the Nigerian Government to mobilise all available security, intelligence, and investigative resources to urgently rescue and securely return the abducted girls. We call on the African Union, ECOWAS, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to provide coordinated support and oversight.
2. Solidarity and Collective Action Across Africa and Beyond
We call for increased solidarity between state and non-state actors, including civil society, women's rights organisations, humanitarian agencies, and community networks. Fragmented responses encourage perpetrators. Unified, coordinated action is crucial to preventing further atrocities.
3. Protection, Mental Health, and Psychosocial Support
CSVR emphasises the urgent need for:
• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for families of abducted girls and for the girls who have escaped and reunited with their families.
• Strengthened protection measures for schools and communities at risk, and
• Immediate and long-term survivor support once all abducted girls and teachers are rescued, including healthcare, social reintegration and educational support.
4. Long-Term Prevention and Structural Solutions Beyond emergency response, Nigeria and regional partners must invest in long-term strategies that:
• Build community resilience, safety and security
• Address drivers of violence and extremist recruitment
• End gender inequality, and
• Protect girls' education in at-risk regions and communities as a fundamental right.
CSVR stands in solidarity with the abducted girls, their families, and all Nigerian communities affected by this ongoing violence. We urge African and global leaders to act decisively and compassionately to bring an end to these atrocities and safeguard the rights and dignity of women and girls everywhere.
CSVR is a multi-disciplinary institute that seeks to understand and prevent violence, heal its effects and build sustainable peace at the community, national and regional levels.
