Abducted Schoolgirls: SERAP Seeks UN Intervention

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the United Nations to urgently intervene to secure the safe release of 230 students of Government Girls … Continue reading Abducted Schoolgirls: SERAP Seeks UN Intervention


SERAPSocio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the United Nations to urgently intervene to secure the safe release of 230 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, who were abducted by members of the Boko Haram sect.

The organization wants the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) of the UN Security Council, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide “international assistance and support to the Nigerian authorities to secure the release of the children and to ensure that they are back to school.”

In a statement on Thursday, signed by SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organization said that, “continuing abduction of these innocent children is having negative impact on their well-being and long-term education. We are urging these bodies to move swiftly to support efforts to protect schools, teachers, and students from deliberate attack in the North-East of the country.”

“In particular we urge the UN Security Council’s Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) on Children and Armed Conflict to take strong action including by referring members of the Boko Haram and their backers to the International Criminal Court. Accountability for attacks on school children and education-including prosecuting perpetrators-is critical to deterring perpetration of crimes under international law,” the group also said.

The group said that, “The International Criminal Court has explicit jurisdiction over intentional attacks against school children and buildings dedicated to education in both international and internal armed conflicts.”

“The attack against children is leading to dramatic decreases in school attendance rates. When attendance remains low over the long term, there are negative knock-on effects on the economy and on key development indices such as measures of maternal and child health,” the organization said.