1 March 2021 – The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG CAAC), Virginia Gamba, called for the immediate release of some 300 schoolgirls abducted last week in Nigeria’s Zamfara State. She expressed serious concerns at the notable increase of abduction incidents in the country in recent months in which girls have been particularly targeted.
“This recent horrendous incident against schoolgirls is not only a gruesome attack on vulnerable children, it is also the direct targeting of their right to education,” said Virginia Gamba. “The six grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict are intrinsically interlinked and the abduction of boys and girls is often the first of many violations facing children such as recruitment and use or sexual violence.”