A large crowd of people, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray, rallied for the missing Nigerian schoolgirls outside the Consulate General of Nigeria in Manhattan on Saturday. Photo by Diana Robinson/NYC Mayor’s Office
Queens leaders have joined an ever-growing chorus of voices across the world calling for the peaceful return of hundreds of young girls who were abducted from their school in Nigeria on April 14.
The terrorist group Boko Haram has taken responsibility for the kidnappings, saying the girls will only be released if imprisoned militants in Nigeria are released.
There have been a number of rallies staged throughout the city in support of the girls who were kidnapped by the group, which has a name that roughly translates to “Western education is a sin,” that has killed more than 1,500 people this year. On Monday, Council Member and Women’s Caucus Co-Chairperson Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) joined Council Member Laurie Cumbo (D-Brooklyn) and a coalition of city, state, federal legislators, and other advocates on the steps of City Hall.
“We need to send a powerful message to Boko Haram and all terrorist organizations that the global community will not tolerate heinous crimes against women,” Crowley said. “With the world watching, these terrorists must be caught and punished to the fullest extent. An injustice to a woman anywhere is an injustice to women everywhere.”
According to Nigerian police, more than 300 girls were abducted from their dormitory in Chibok, a primarily Christian village located in the northeastern region of the country. Fifty-three of those girls have reportedly escaped from their captors, but the fate of the remaining 276 is unknown.
“The widespread horror at the plight of these young girls and their families is overwhelming,” city Public Advocate Letitia James said. “It is imperative that we recognize the over-representation of girls of African descent in the global human trafficking epidemic, as well as the need to address the devastating effect of global terrorism.”
President Obama’s administration has opposed offering ransom or other concessions to retrieve the schoolgirls, but the U.S. has joined countries from around the world, including Britain and France, in sending specialist teams and equipment to aid the Nigerian military in its search for the students in a part of the country that has been plagued by violence for years.
“We, as a matter of policy, deny kidnappers the benefit of their criminal acts, and that includes ransoms or other concessions,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a televised statement.
Nigerian President Jonathan Goodluck’s administration told news agencies that the government has formed a committee to negotiate with Boko Haram – which was reportedly paid $3.1 million last year for the release of a French family that was taken hostage.
By Anna Gustafson
Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, center, joined other legislators and advocates at a rally on the steps of City Hall to call for the safe return of hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria. Courtesy Council Member Elizabeth Crowley’s office
