1 Million Children without Education Due to Boko Haram

A recently released report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that the Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram is responsible for the lack of education available to one million children in the country

The 86-page report by HRW raises awareness of the
dire situation education is in due to the attacks of Boko Haram militants.

Access to education in Nigeria has also been restricted due to the Nigerian army’s policy of using schools as military bases. This increases the frequency of attacks on school grounds.
More than 910 schools have been targeted by Boko Haram whose name, fittingly, means “Western (or non-Islamic) education is a sin.”

"In its brutal crusade against western-style education, Boko Haram is robbing an entire generation of children in northeast Nigeria of their education," said Mausi Segun, Nigeria researcher at HRW. "The government should urgently provide appropriate schooling for all children affected by the conflict."

The group was also responsible for kidnapping 276 schoolgirls from Chibok nearly two years ago. About 219 of the girls remain in captivity. Boko Haram says it plans to capture more women and girls in order to convert them to Islam.

The fighting between the terrorist group and the Nigerian army has displaced many Nigerians from their homes, and has caused a refugee crisis, in addition to the difficulties in access to education.
2.2 million people are reported to have been affected by the fighting and displaced from their homes, including 1.4 million children.

The Nigerian government declared that Boko Haram had been “technically defeated” in December 2015, but attacks continue and refugees are still unable to return home.
"It is up to both sides to immediately stop the attacks on education and end the cycle of poverty and underachievement to which far too many children in the region are being sentenced,” said Segun.