14 April 2015
Boko Haram, a group of militant Islamic extremists, abducted 276 schoolgirls between the ages of 16 and 18 years from the Government Secondary Boarding School in Chibok, Nigeria, on April 14, 2014. More than 300 days since the Chibok abduction and measures by the government to find them, the vast majority of the 276 girls remain unaccounted for and their fate unresolved. The abduction and non-return of the schoolgirls provides a poignant illustration of the pervasive, global problem of discrimination and violence against girls and women, including abductions and trafficking, in every region of the world (Save the Children, 2013).
Summary and Purpose
On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the tragic abduction of the Nigerian schoolgirls, we, a group of psychologists in the United States committed to human rights and social justice, launch this statement in a broad appeal to the international community on the importance of fully implementing international human rights standards, which protect girls and women against abductions, trafficking and all other forms of violence and discrimination. Our statement has three major parts: First, we place abductions, trafficking and all other forms of violence and discrimination against girls and women within the contextual framework of international human rights standards. Next, we draw upon research to highlight the physical and psychological impact of these violations of human rights on girls, their families, and their communities and the role of intervention by psychologists, other mental health providers, educators and humanitarian workers in preventing violence and providing psychosocial recovery. Finally, we issue a call to action to the international community stated as concrete recommendations, grounded in international human rights standards and psychological science.
Endorsed by Divisions of the American Psychological Association:
5 – Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, 9 – Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, 12 – Society of Clinical Psychology, 17 – Society of Counseling Psychology, 22 Section 2 – Rehabilitation Psychology, Section on Women in Rehabilitation Psychology, 27 – Society for Community Research and Action, 29 – Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy, 32 – Society for Humanistic Psychology, 35 – Society for the Psychology of Women, 37 – Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice, 39 – Psychoanalysis, 45 – Society for the
Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race, 47 – Sport and Exercise Psychology, 48 – Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division, 49 – Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy, 51 – Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity, 52 – International Psychology, 54 – Society of Pediatric Psychology; and by the Executive Council of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology 1, 2
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1 This Call to Action has been endorsed by a number of Divisions (and their subunits) of the American Psychological Association (APA). While the statement is consistent with existing APA policies, it has not been submitted for review and approval by the APA Council of Representatives to become APA policy.
2 Writing Group: Kathleen H. Dockett, EdD, Professor Emerita of Psychology, University of the District of Columbia, Coordinator; Corann Okorodudu, EdD, Professor Emerita of Psychology & Africana Studies, Rowan University; Yvonne Rafferty, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Pace University; Katherine Miller, BA, Master’s Candidate, International Disaster Psychology, University of Denver. Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Dockett [email protected], Dr. Okorodudu [email protected], or Dr. Rafferty [email protected]