Colorado Students Show Support For Kidnapped Girls In Nigeria
DENVER (CBS4)- The tense situation in Nigeria surrounding the kidnapping of 300 schoolgirls is getting attention among students in Colorado.
There is a $300,000 reward for the return of nearly 300 girls kidnapped in Nigeria. A U.S. military team will travel to help with the search. A terror group known as Boko Haram is behind the kidnappings and has threatened to sell the girls into slavery.
Students at St. Mary's Academy organized a rally on Thursday to show their support for the kidnapped girls and to help bring them home.
"I think it's overwhelming to imagine a girl taken from her school and her family and put into a child marriage or other terrible situations as a girl preparing to leave home and go to school. I'm intimidated by that," said one student.
They painted a banner that read, "Bring home our girls."
"Honestly the kidnapping of these girls is a step backwards, not just for female empowerment but for society in general," said another student.
All the students wore red.
"We're wearing red today in support of the girls in Nigeria," said one student.
The senior girls should be celebrating their final days as high school students but instead they were worried about the futures of young women they've never even met.
"It's very important to advocate for those girls who aren't experiencing the same privileges," said one student.