100 Days; And Still Counting: #BringBackOurGirls

14th April is etched on my mind for two important reasons: It is the day that Boko Haram militants abducted more than 200 girls in the Nigerian town of Chibok. The second reason is that 14th April is the day I was born 40 years ago. While the world would remember the date for other significant events, that fateful day of April 14 in the year 2014 would remind every woman of the unbearable pain of labour.

On 23rd July, the abducted girls would be 100 days old in the den of Boko Haram. We have been united and outraged for the past 100 days against the wickedness of our world. We have rallied behind the hashtag sign (#) to demand the return of our girls. We have sustained the #BringBackOurGirls campaign but our girls are still not back. Not yet.

US president Barack Obama and his wife have joined the campaign. The Secretary of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, has thrown his huge weight behind the global anger for Boko Haram. The office of former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has already issued statements marking the 100 days of the girls in captivity. Every newspaper, including The General Telegraph, has devoted space to increase publicity for the campaign. And last week, Pakistani teenage activist, Malala Yousafzai, met with the parents of the abducted girls to drum more support for the campaign against the intimidation and the many evils of our times.

Malala said 'I can see those girls as my sistersand I am going to speak up for them until they are released.' The education activist assuredNigerians: 'I am going to participate actively in the Bring Back our Girls campaign to make sure that they return safely and they continue their education.'

Malala also met Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to pledge her support for Nigeria in their efforts to secure the release of our beloved girls. But the #BringBackOurGirls campaign is not only Nigeria's; it is a global exercise, especially for those of us in Africa.

Anything that threatens the education and dignity of a girl anywhere is a danger to peace and development everywhere. Girls in Accra and Tamale are not free if their friends in Chibok remain in captivity. The education of girls everywhere is not complete when the destiny of 200 innocent girls remains uncertain in the camps of religious extremists. These are the nurses, doctors, engineers and teachers of tomorrow. Our world will be poorer if we do not arrest the forces that assail our development efforts.

As President Goodluck Jonathan seeks $1Billion to strengthen the capacity of the Nigerian military to fight Islamic militancy, we should also be thinking of the capacity of our institutions to stand against the things we abhor whenwe are tested. As the wickedness and intransigence of the Taliban-inspired Boko Haram continue to threaten the world, we should be asking ourselves what significant contribution we can offer Nigerian beyond rallying behind a hashtag while innocent girls continue to suffer. So far, the Nigerian military has received some help from the United States, UK, France, Israel and China towards efforts to secure the release of the girls from Boko Haram. The Nigerian military has embarked on several operations in the fight against the extremism of insurgents, but they have come under criticism for also contributing to the abuse of civilians in the security-threatened areas of Northern Nigeria. While the blame game goes on, the fate of more than 200 innocent girls remains undecided by people who do not care what happens to their dreams and career ambitions.

There have been other abductions by Boko Haram in Nigeria after the 200 girls were taken away in April. Human Rights Watch, a New York-based Human rights advocacy organization, reports that in this year alone, more than 2,000 civilians have been killed by Boko Haram. The insecurity in Northern Nigeria prompted the Jonathan government to declare a state of emergency in Yobe, Adamawa, and Borno state, where the 200 girls were abducted. In all these cases, the victims have mostly been girls and women. 'Boko Haram,' which means western education is unclean, is up to Islamize the world. But why have they always targeted girls and women? Why are they interested in imposing their form of education on us, particularly on girls of school-going age?

We haven't done well for the women of this century, even though they form the majority of the word's 7Billion population. Apart from abductions and other forms of physical violence, women still suffer dehumanising traditional and customary practices that work against their social and economic dignity. In Bangladesh where the legal age for prostitution is 18 years, girls in their early teens are fed steroids meant for cows, to fatten them so that they look mature and older than their age. These dangerous cattle steroids are sold so cheaply on the streets to make them affordable for every teenager. In most parts, the drugs cost the price of a cup of tea. The steroid is also reported to make older prostitutes look younger and sexier to attract rich clients. The effect is that while the under-aged teenagers look voluptuous and pricy enough for the business of prostitution, the drug is dangerous for human consumption.

In Ghana, girls of school-going age in parts of the Upper West region live with the daily nightmare of being abducted for marriage. Marriage by abduction is a cultural practice that allows a girl to be abducted for marriage against her will. The husband-to-be, who may be known to her parents, would later present a bride price while the girl remains in his custody. Like the Chibok girls, the education of a girl abducted for marriage is truncated, because they become mothers too early and have to care for their children while they are still children themselves. Ghanaian girls continue to suffer Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the traditional practice that involves the removal of parts of the female genitalia for customary reasons. And yes, we have witches camps in the Northern region, where women are kept. Isn't it time to bring back our girls?

The author is the Communications and Public Relations Manager of ActionAid Ghana, an anti-poverty human rights organization committed to ending poverty and injustice around the world.

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