Bringing huge relief for some Nigerian families, 21 of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 were released early Thursday. After negotiations between the militant Islamist group and the Nigerian government, the girls were freed in exchange for imprisoned members of the militant group.

According to the BBC, members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Swiss government helped broker the talks. Nigerian security staff and the ICRC brought some detained high-ranking Boko Haram members with them to an exchange point, where they were switched for the girls, most of whom are now mothers. The girls will be taken to the capital city, Abuja, and examined by doctors and psychologists.

1/2 Today we transferred 21 of the #Chibokgirls and handed them to the #Nigeria government authorities, acting as a neutral intermediary.

— ICRC Africa (@ICRC_Africa) October 13, 2016

But at the same time, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said at a news conference that there was no swap, and no Boko Haram leaders had been freed in exchange for the girls. “The release of these girls does not mean an end to military operations, but it is a new phase in the war against insurgency‎,” he said. “People want to believe bad news than good news. The girls were released, there was no swap.”

21 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram released

Read More:- https://t.co/kt2512VcOs#WorldNews #Terrorist #BokoHaram pic.twitter.com/14sYVIldPc

— Baba Ramdev (@SwamiRamdevBaba) October 13, 2016

Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from a Chibok boarding school in 2014, but 57 of the girls managed to flee immediately after being taken. Only one has been freed up until now, when she was found walking in the forest in May. People urging the group to free the girls and the Nigerian government to act have tweeted using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, in a social media campaign supported by Michelle Obama.

But even though this is a huge step forward in the negotiations between the Islamist group and the government, Boko Haram has also kidnapped thousands more women and girls in Nigeria. Many are forced to marry the soldiers and transferred to what have been called rape camps.

It has been difficult for Nigerian security forces to discover where the group hides, or where the girls are located, due to dense forest and how spread out the fighters are. On top of all that, the northeastern part of the country, where Boko Haram’s territory is located, is suffering one of the biggest hunger crises in the world. But for now, 21 more girls are reunited with their families, and at least this is one step forward in the fight against the militants.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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One of the missing Chibok schoolgirls abducted by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram back in 2014 has been found alive and well in Nigeria. She is the first of the girls to be brought back since the kidnapping, not including the 57 that were able to flee before they were taken. There are 218 allegedly still missing, and activists say they are heavily guarded somewhere in the Sambisa Forest in the northeast of Nigeria.

According to reports, the girl is Amina Ali Nkeki, and activists from the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) claim to have found her with a baby in her arms and in the company of a man who said he was her husband. He was also a prisoner of Boko Haram. Allegedly they walked out from the forest, asking for help.

But the Nigerian army has an opposing story. Army officials claim that they retrieved the girl in a rescue operation, and that her name is Falmata Mbalala. At the same time they confirmed that they were talking about the same incident. It remains to be seen whether the stories are about two separate girls, or just a case of miscommunication.

Over two years ago, in April 2014, 276 schoolgirls were taken from their secondary school in Chibok by the terror group Boko Haram. The kidnapping sparked reactions from all over the world and was the origin of the social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls, strongly supported by Michelle Obama.

Most of the girls were Christian, and believed to have been forced to convert to Islam, since Boko Haram released a video of the girls reciting the Koran about a month after the kidnapping. Another video, shot on Christmas Day 2015, showed some of the girls wearing long black robes, saying they were treated well but wanted to go home.

Boko Haram was founded in 2002 and its main opposition is to a Western political and social lifestyle. The group wants to prohibit people from participating in elections, wearing Western clothing, and getting a secular education. In 2009 it initiated military operations to create an Islamic state, but today most of its territories have been recaptured by Nigerian military.

The discovery of the girl comes just a few days after reports of a thawing relationship and reconciliation between Nigerian and American governments, with the hope they will cooperate to defeat Boko Haram.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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One out of every five cases of violent victimization in America is domestic violence. You read that correctly — one out of five, according to the latest National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Published in April, this report illustrates a disturbing yet unsurprising state of affairs.

Just over half of all domestic violence cases involving intimate partners or immediate family members during this period were reported to police (56 percent), while just under half of cases of victimization by other family members were reported (49 percent). In addition to the 23 percent of domestic violence victimizations, another 32 percent were perpetrated by “well-known/casual acquaintances.” More than half of all violent victimizations, then, are committed by offenders known by the victim. In general, violence is not random.

Violence Against Women 

When all violent crimes are considered, men are slightly more likely to be victimized than women. However, in terms of domestic violence women are more often the victims, making up 76 percent of all such incidents. This is especially the case in intimate partner violence (IPV), which shows an even larger gap: an 82-18 percent disparity between women and men, respectively. IPV is also the most prevalent and injurious form of domestic violence.

The recent campaign “Bring Back Our Girls” has been powerful in that it created rallying cry, worldwide, against the discrimination of women. While the energy behind it is purely positive, I think that America forgets about its own issues too often. We take pride when scolding other nations for their de jure systems of oppression. As a recent World Bank report illustrates, it is not a crime to restrict women in many countries. Rather, their restriction is a part of the legal system. Active government constraint of the freedoms that women deserve is not (as) prevalent in the United States. But it remains shameful, or criminal, that our government can ignore domestic violence to the extent that it does.

Action For Women

IPV can be associated with poverty. As the World Bank report states, “Intimate partner violence (IPV) is more frequent and severe among poorer groups across such diverse countries as India, Nicaragua, and the United States.” Our lawmakers can do something by restructuring the tax code and revitalizing government programs. Getting rid of loopholes while lowering all brackets’ rates could actually increase revenue and make room for stronger assistance programs. Of course this means that reforming welfare and SNAP will have to be taken seriously.

Undocumented citizen status may also exacerbate IPV. As SafeHouse Denver describes, there are a host of methods used by aggressors against immigrant women to keep them from reporting domestic violence. Our lawmakers can do something by reforming immigration laws, reducing harsh enforcement, and making the path to citizenship more accessible. In turn, that would make it more difficult for abusers to discourage immigrant women from seeking help.

IPV can turn into homicide when firearms are involved. The annual “When Men Murder Women” report by the Violence Policy Center shows the relationship between firearm homicide and domestic violence. Our lawmakers can do something by mandating tougher restrictions on guns, which may reduce the number of domestic violence cases that become fatal. Because fatal domestic violence cases go unrecorded by the NCVS, this issue is even greater than the recent report may suggest.

Ending the Trend

Cultural change has the power to reshape the way we raise our children, it has the power to reshape the way partners treat each other, and it has the power to reshape how students behave on college campuses. However, we cannot rely solely on social movements. The political structure and our government’s actions must reflect, and catalyze, the social shifts on the ground. Yes, we need to advocate for cultural change. Yes, all women. Yes, all men. But it would be remiss to not demand policies that can diminish IPV. If we are to truly champion the end of domestic violence, the end of sexual assault, and the end of a system that leaves so many women battered, it will be necessary to call on our government to make changes. Especially when solutions would be beneficial in so many other policy areas, it is criminal that our politicians are not doing more to combat domestic violence.

___

Jake Ephros (@JakeEphros)

Featured image courtesy of [US Military via Wikimedia]

Jake Ephros

Jake Ephros is a native of Montclair, New Jersey where he volunteered for political campaigns from a young age. He studies Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at American University and looks forward to a career built around political activism, through journalism, organizing, or the government. Contact Jake at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Loves, the conservaturds are at it again.

Conservative pundit and asshole extraordinaire Ann Coulter decided to use her considerable star power for the greater good this week. Harnessing the power of social media, she took to Twitter to show support for her fellow human beings, advocating an end to gender-based violence and oppression around the world.

LOL JUST KIDDING.

Did I have you going for a second there?

Probably not! Because unless you live in an actual cave, you know that Ann Coulter is probably the least positive person in the history of political pundits.

Thank goodness this lady is just a culture maker and not a legislator. That would make her even more horrifying than she already is (which is saying a lot).

So, since we’ve established that the woman infamous for condoning the murder of abortionists, reversing women’s suffrage, and “perfecting” Jews (I literally cannot) isn’t using her Twitter account to spread peace and light throughout the social media universe, let’s talk about what she IS using it for.

This jerk is using it to mock Malala Yousafzai’s Twitter campaign to #BringBackOurGirls.

#Malala stands in solidarity with Nigerians & people everywhere calling for action to #BringBackOurGirls pic.twitter.com/woAjreav0W

— Malala Fund (@MalalaFund) May 4, 2014

Last week, I wrote about the 300 girls in the Nigerian village of Chibok who were abducted from school, OF ALL PLACES, and are now being sold into sexual, marital slavery for a few dollars a pop by Boko Haram, an Islamist fundamentalist group.   That’s what Malala’s #BringBackOurGirls campaign is all about. It’s about raising awareness of a wildly, disgustingly awful human rights violation that’s happening in Nigeria right now. It’s about starting conversations around the world about gender-based violence and oppression. And of course, it’s about drawing attention to a grossly under-reported story that deserves way more attention than it’s currently receiving.   Basically, Malala wants women not to be abducted and sold into slavery. And when they are, she demands that it be stopped. Ann Coulter does the opposite. In response to Malala’s #BringBackOurGirls campaign, Ms. Coulter tweeted this:

My hashtag contribution to world affairs … pic.twitter.com/Wkb8ozYZFC — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) May 12, 2014

#BringBackOurCountry.

Ann Coulter, you officially win The Worst Person on Twitter Award. I literally cannot with you and your vomit-inducing shenanigans.

What country, exactly, Ms. Coulter, are you looking to bring back? One where its citizens don’t care when girls are targets for violence because they’re receiving an education? One where women are abducted, beaten, raped, sold like cattle — and no one bats an eye?

Because that’s all you’re advocating when you turn a call to bring abducted women home safely into a warped, twisted statement about how fucked up our country is. The United States may not look the way you want it to look — being all full of Jews and voting women and abortionists and whatnot — but this is not an appropriate way to express your distaste.

Not even a little bit.

Luckily, the legions of Twitter users are in agreement, and they’re restoring our collective faith in humanity. With a magical little tool called Photoshop, folks who DON’T think saving abducted Nigerian women is a cause to shit all over, taught Ann Coulter a lesson.

And it’s awesome.

Here are some of the best Ann Coulter-Photoshop-Takedowns. Scroll through and rejoice in the wonderfulness that can still exist in the world, right alongside the bile of people like Ann Coulter.

@CletisStump @Kalaax008 What Coulter does for a ‘living’. pic.twitter.com/pWz1LiDZnn

— ⒿⓄⓁⓉⒾⓃ ⒿⓄⒺ (@fullofbalogna) May 12, 2014

Wildly accurate.

Man, sometimes I’m shocked by the shit @AnnCoulter says for attention. pic.twitter.com/m3QnG2ZJhr — Atchka! (@atchka) May 12, 2014

Wouldn’t that be magical?

Thanks for calling Ann Coulter, and all of her conservaturd followers, on their bullshit, Internet. We love you. Keep fighting the good fight.

—

Hannah R. Winsten (@HannahRWinsten) is a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and blogger living in New York City. She hates tweeting but does it anyway. She aspires to be the next Rachel Maddow.

Featured Image Courtesy of [Gage Skidmore via Flickr]

Hannah R. Winsten

Hannah R. Winsten is a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and blogger living in New York’s sixth borough. She hates tweeting but does it anyway. She aspires to be the next Rachel Maddow. Contact Hannah at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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