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U.N. alarmed by increasing attacks against schoolgirls worldwide

In this file photo taken Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014, people demonstrate calling on the Nigerian government to rescue girls taken from a secondary school in Chibok region, in the city of Abuja, Nigeria.
In this file photo taken Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014, people demonstrate calling on the Nigerian government to rescue girls taken from a secondary school in Chibok region, in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. AP Photo/Olamikan Gbemiga File

BERLIN – The United Nations human rights office says there have been threats, violent attacks and other abuse against girls for going to school in at least 70 countries over the past five years.

A report published Monday by the Geneva-based body noted that, despite some progress, girls still face difficulty getting an education in many countries around the world.

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It notes that “attacks against girls accessing education persist and, alarmingly, appear in some countries to be occurring with increasing regularity.”

The report cites the kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria last year and the shooting of education activist Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan in 2012.

It says that in 2012 alone there were 3,600 attacks against schools, teachers and students.

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