Boko Haram (official name - Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, Arabic for ‘People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad’) is a militant Islamic Group founded in 2002. Since its founding, it has caused havoc in Nigeria and its neighbouring countries namely Niger, Chad and Cameroon through a wave of violent abductions, bombings and assassinations - with the aim of overthrowing the government and establishing an Islamic Caliphate. Boko Haram was labelled as a terrorist organization by the United States of America in 2013, amid fears that it had developed links with other militant groups, such as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), to wage a global Jihad. Nevertheless, it is noted that Boko Haram has turned
More broadly, Boko Haram propagates a version of Islam that forbids Muslims from engaging in activities associated with Western culture. This includes receiving a secular education, voting in elections, or wearing shirts and
It has repeatedly targeted educational institutions in deadly attacks to highlight its fundamental philosophy against education. It is estimated that 10,000 children have been forced out of state schooling as a result of Boko Haram’s hit-and-run attacks. In April 2014, Boko Haram abducted over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok town in Borno state in Nigeria. Majority of those abducted were Christians. It is reported that these schoolgirls will be enslaved and married off, in line with ancient Islamic ideology that captive women are regarded as war booty. Furthermore, Boko Haram opposes the education of women because under its interpretation of Sharia law, women should be at home tending to household chores, rather than attending school. Analysts have highlighted the difficulties in rescuing the captive schoolgirls, due in part to a weak government presence in the heavily forested and remote region of Chibok, where the schoolgirls are believed to be housed in. Furthermore, porous borders into neighbouring countries - Chad and Niger, have made rescue efforts more difficult, and has given Boko Haram greater license to operate in the region.

Boko Haram has abducted and inhumanely treated women, violating the humans rights of women. Forced marriages, pregnancies, rape, beatings and torture of women are ubiquitous and normalised activities in Boko Haram camps. It is reported that Boko