A non-governmental organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has urged the United Nations to intervene and secure the release of abducted students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
More than 234 girls were abducted on April 15 by members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect.
SERAP made the plea in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos by its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni.
The group said the continued detention of the girls had negative impact on their well-being and long-term education.
It urged the UN, through its various agencies, to provide international assistance and support to the Nigerian authorities to secure the release of the girls.
The statement said: “We are urging these bodies to move swiftly to support efforts to protect schools, teachers, and students from deliberate attacks in the North-East of the country.
“In particular, we urge the UN Security Council’s Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism on Children and Armed Conflicts to take strong action by referring members of the Boko Haram and their backers to the International Criminal Court.
“Accountability for attacks on school children and education, including prosecuting perpetrators, is critical to deterring perpetration of crimes under international law.”
SERAP said the International Criminal Court had explicit jurisdiction over intentional attacks against school children and buildings dedicated to education in both international and internal armed conflicts.
It said that the abduction of the girls was also an attack on their right to education which calls for a strong international effort.
It added: “The attack against children is leading to dramatic decrease in school attendance rates.
“When attendance remains low over a long time, there are negative knock-on effects on the economy and on key development indices such as measures of maternal and child health.”
According to SERAP, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its two additional protocols and customary international law is also binding on parties to the conflict in the North-East Nigeria.
It urged the Federal Government to specifically criminalise attacks on students and teachers, and prohibit the use of schools for military purposes.
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