Missing???!!! Bring back our girls!

Well, I guess the post I wrote and titled 'Missing' on the 25th of April is not valid now, right? People do care. I mean look at the 'Bring back the girls' protests, photos and media coverage over the last few days, right?

Wrong. Well, for me. 

Somewhere deep in my soul, I am still not satisfied. We should demand for the girls to be brought back but you and I know that we waking up nearly three weeks later and shouting 'Bring back our girls!' is NOT going to bring them back or make them appear. Yes the media attention to this story and the global response is amazing but I cant help but feel its all just a little too late. Even if all the protests are successful and result in the girls being found, I can't imagine the trauma and horror all those girls would have experienced. Many if not all those girls are scarred for life. 

I hate to be such a pessimist but maybe this is what working in the media does to one. Even the people protesting now, do they really care or is it just a hype to them? Something to discuss, a dinner table topic? For crying out loud, these are lives! Teenagers with their whole lives ahead of them!! I know that people are making genuine efforts but do we all really care or are we just going through the hashtag?

I'm disappointed with the government- there's nothing new about this one- but even more so, I am disappointed with everyone riding on this hashtag. Why didn't we start our protests the day the girls went missing? Did we just realise that they are human beings too? Did we just realise that they are people's daughters?

The video Boko Haram released claiming responsibility for the abduction proves my point. The terrorists know that they have already done enough damage to destroy the girls forever even if they are found today. Thus, our extensive media coverage of this now, is actually benefiting them. Yes, I said it. I mean look at how confident Abubakar Shekau was in that video! It is obviously helping propagate their mission to let the world know how 'very terrible' Nigeria is.

Maybe I'm wrong but maybe, just maybe there's truth in this post. My point? We need to act faster when things like this happen. Lets not wait till it becomes a media phenomenon. 

With all my love,

Dara Rhodes.