Advertisement

#BringBackOurGirls: powerful photos from Nigeria kidnapping protests

A sign that reads 'Bring back our girls' is pinned to a tree as Protesters calling for the release of a group of abducted Nigerian schoolgirls gather outside Nigeria House on May 9, 2014 in London, England. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The government of the Nigerian state of Borno has identified by name the 53 girls who escaped from Islamic militants.

The move is generating concern the girls could be stigmatized now that their names are public.

Militants abducted more than 300 girls from a school last month and some 276 remain missing.

Women attend a demonstration calling on government to rescue the kidnapped school girls.
Women attend a demonstration calling on government to rescue the kidnapped school girls. AP Photo/ Sunday Alamba

READ MORE: Canada offers equipment to locate Chibok girls

American officials are arriving in Nigeria to assist the government to find and rescue them while Canada has confirmed it will provide surveillance technology to help Nigeria locate the missing girls.

Story continues below advertisement
Protesters calling for the release of a group of abducted Nigerian schoolgirls gather outside Nigeria House on May 9, 2014 in London, England. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The kidnappings sparked outrage and protests around the world.

READ MORE: Authorities had early warning, Amnesty claims

A girl wearing a T-Shirt with the inscription ” Chibok bring our girls back Alive” attends a demonstration calling on government to rescue kidnapped school girls of a government secondary school Chibok, during workers day celebration in Lagos, Nigeria.
A girl wearing a T-Shirt with the inscription ” Chibok bring our girls back Alive” attends a demonstration calling on government to rescue kidnapped school girls of a government secondary school Chibok, during workers day celebration in Lagos, Nigeria. AP Photo/ Sunday Alamba

Boko Haram has reportedly killed more than 1,500 people so far this year. The group aims to impose Islamic law on Africa’s most populous nation, which has 170 million people equally divided between Christian and Muslim.

Story continues below advertisement
In this photo taken Monday, May 5, 2014, Nana Shettima weeps as she speaks with school girls from the government secondary school. AP Photo
A woman holds a placard during a protest calling for the release of 276 abducted Nigerian schoolgirls outside Nigeria House on May 9, 2014 in London, England. Getty Images

 

Women attend a mass demonstration calling on the government to increase efforts to rescue the hundreds of missing kidnapped school girls.
Women attend a mass demonstration calling on the government to increase efforts to rescue the hundreds of missing kidnapped school girls. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo

On Wednesday, Michelle Obama joined the voices worldwide calling for the safe return of kidnapped schoolgirls.

Story continues below advertisement

The first lady packaged her tweet with a photo of herself in the White House holding a white piece of paper with the message “#BringBackOurGirls” written in black, capital letters.

Karilyn Coates, 10, joins others in a candlelight vigil for the more than 300 girls abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, May 8, 2014. AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Mark Reis
Protestors hold placards as they demonstrate outside Nigeria House in central London on May 9, 2014, to demand the return of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram Islamist group. LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images
A participant at the World Conference on Youth 2014, hosted by Sri Lanka, poses for a photograph while holding a placard during a protest to demand the return of hundreds of school girls abducted by the Boko Haram separatist group in Colombo on May 9, 2014. Getty Images
An unidentified mother cries out during a demonstration with others who have daughters among the kidnapped school girls. AP Photo/ Gbemiga Olamikan

Sponsored content

AdChoices