Boko Haram Threatens to Sell 200+ Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls. Here's How You Can Help Bring Them Home.

On Friday, we were talking about the horrific kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls--and the fight to get them home safely. Over the weekend, Boko Haram, the Islamist terrorist group that was suspected of taking the girls from their dorms in the middle of the night, officially claimed responsibility. According to CNN, the group released a video obtained by Agence France-Presse in which a man identifying himself as Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau threatened to sell the girls. "I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah...There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women," he said, per CNN's translation. 

Last week, a social media campaign using # BringBackOurGirls caught on, putting pressure on world leaders to help locate the missing girls and return them safely to their families. On Sudnay, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan finally broke his silence on the issue at a press conference, vowing that "wherever these girls are, we will get them out." In a press release, Nigeria's Minister of Information stated: "Every information relayed to security agencies has so far been investigated, including the search of all places suspected as a possible hide-away of the kidnapped girls. The police, backed up by the military and DSS, have combed and are still combing all reported places that the girls might have been taken to." The kidnapping reportedly took place in mid-April, meaning that the girls have been missing for three weeks. During that time, there were reports that they were already being sold as child brides.

Secretary of Stae John Kerry announced on Saturday that the US will assist Nigeria in its efforts to brig the girls home. (It's currently estimated that 250 girls are still missing.) While Kerry wasn't specific in how the US will step in to help, he did say that "We will do everything possible to support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their homes and hold the perpetrators to justice," according to The Washington Post.

So what can you do to help? For starters, show your support for finding the missing girls (and further pressure world leaders to take action) by tweeting #BringBackOurGirls and following the hashtag on Twitter. You can also "like" the Bring Back Our Girls page on facebook. Then tomorrow, May 6, at noon, Girl Rising and Amy Poehler's Smart Girls initiative are hosting a "call to Action" Google Hangout. Join experts, organizers, and other global citizens like yourself in the fight to bring these girls home safely. For more information, check out girlrising.com or amysmartgirls.com.

Let's all agree not to live in a world where hundreds of girls can be taken in the night, and nobody does a damn thing. Let's be better than that. Let's be like these people, who are demanding justice.

 source:glamour.com