The leader of Nigeria’s Islamic extremist group Boko Haram says the 219 schoolgirls kidnapped in Chibok earlier this year have all converted to Islam and have been married off.

Abubakar Shekau said in a video the girls, who he says are now in their marital homes, have memorized two chapters of the Quran.

Nigeria had announced it was in negotiations with Boko Haram to release the girls.  Shekau denied those claims, saying he did not know the man who claimed to represent Boko Haram in the negotiations.

Shekau said the issue of the girls is “long forgotten.”

Human Rights Watch published a report earlier this week saying that Boko Haram is holding upwards of 500 women and young girls and that forced marriage was commonplace in the militant camps. 

One former hostage told HRW she saw some of the Chibok girls forced to cook and clean for other women and girls who had been chosen for “special treatment because of their beauty.”

HRW said the statements of witnesses and victims of Boko Haram abductions suggest the Nigerian government has failed to “adequately protect women and girls from a myriad of abuses or provide them with effective support and mental health and medical care after their captivity.    The 63-page report says Nigeria has also failed to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the abuses. [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: Economy and Finance