Malala Yousefzai, a 17-year-old girl from Nigeria, has quickly become a voice for the hundreds of young women kidnapped by Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group.
Malala has had several meetings with parents that are holding on to the hope that their children will return home safely. Parents of the missing girls endured a 20-hour trip to Pakistan to meet with Malala to strengthen each other in this turbulent time. Malala was shot by the Taliban for wanting to go to school.
“When she was shot, her mother said it would have been worse if they had kidnapped her… But there is hope. We must be hopeful,” her father said, according to ABC News. More than 250 girls have been kidnapped in the past three months.
Parents have taken the matter in their own hands with no success. They have gone into the forest with bows and arrows to rescue the girls, but they have come up empty. Many have been encouraged to end their search for fear of losing their lives.
Malala said she noticed the response to the crisis on Twitter but did not truly know what the parents were going through. Their feelings were completely clear from their first meeting, as they were all crying for their daughters and swept her up in emotion as well.
Malala will meet with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to request that he take action. She hopes that her experience and the stories of those that were kidnapped and escaped will hold weight for President Jonathan in his decision.
Kauna Bitrus, a 16 year old, witnessed as her father was shot and killed by Boko Haram. Her mother and sister were shot and injured as well.
Malala had a message for Boko Haram in an ABC News interview.
“My simple message to Boko Haram is to think about your own sisters…They should understand that what they are doing is….badly affecting the nation of Islam. It’s not the real Islam. So they should think about their own sisters and they should release the girls. It is a request. It is a request. Please.”
Boko Haram marked the third month of the girls’ captivity with a video that ridiculed Malala’s request. Flanked by militia, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said the girls would not be released before Boko Haram extremists were released from jail.
“Bring back our army,” he said as he smiled and mocked Malala’s plea for them to “bring back our girls.”
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