We were those girls.

We are the Women’s Advocacy Network, a group of war affected women from northern Uganda that underwent a similar experience to our young sisters in Nigeria. We condemn in the strongest terms possible the heinous crime of abduction committed by the Boko Haram in Chibok north eastern Nigeria. We call for the immediate release of the school girls and ask the Nigerian Government and the international community not to spare any effort in trying to rescue the girls.

We recall that during our time when we were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army, we ended up staying in misery with our captors for periods ranging from 5 to 12 years. We do not want what happened to us to happen to them or any other girl. We hope, pray and advocate that such should not be the case with our young sisters from Nigeria. We especially know what they are going through.

We also want to reiterate that women and girls should stop been targeted and used as weapons of war.