Lori Blaker, President of the Metro Detroit Chapter of the US National Committee for UN Women Speaks Out Against the Kidnapping of Nigerian Schoolgirls

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'We need to work globally to stop the spread of extremism against women,' Blaker told the group.

Auburn HIlls, Michigan (PRWEB) May 17, 2014

“Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the extremist Islamic group Boko Haram has said he intends to sell the girls if his terms are not met, as if they were pieces of meat, de-humanizing them in the most despicable way,” said Blaker. I can only imagine the terror the girls and their parents are feeling at this moment.”

The girls were abducted while taking their final exams at a boarding school. This situation puts the spotlight on the kind of violence and incivility that women and girls are subjected to in many countries throughout the world.

“The tears these families must be shedding, must fall on the collective conscience of the world. The atrocities against women and girls has to stop, this isn’t the dark ages, and we are well past the age of enlightenment. We need to work globally to stop the spread of extremism against women,” Blaker told the group.

She knows what she is talking about. Her company, TTi Global has operations in 28 countries throughout the world, many in areas where women are treated as second rate citizens.

“As the world waits and wonders it becomes evident that these girls have become pawns in a deadly game of war, a war that ultimately has become a war against women,” said Blaker. “I urge other business leaders, world leaders, women’s organizations and media professionals to take a stand and speak out against this latest act of violence in Nigeria and violence toward women in general.”

Blaker is also concerned about violence against women in Michigan. As part of her vision for the Metro Detroit Chapter of the US National Committee for UN Women, she is developing a strategy to coordinate with the efforts of the Michigan Commission on Human Trafficking and The Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force to bring awareness and a plan of action to help combat human trafficking in Michigan.

“Michigan is one of the top five states for human trafficking. We need to create awareness and educate the public to be on the lookout.” said Blaker. “It’s outrageous that the horror of human trafficking is happening right here in Michigan, possibly in our own neighborhood.”

The Metro Detroit Chapter is a member organization of the US National Committee (USNC) for UN Women, an independent non-profit, 501c3 organization that supports the mission of UN Women and social, political, and economic equality for women and girls around the world.  Our members and supporters are men, women, and children in the Detroit metropolitan region who give their time and resources to support a world where women of all ages have access to education and employment opportunities, and sustainable livelihoods that enable them to live free of gender-based violence.

To find out how you can help, go to http://www.unwomen-usnc.org/detroit.

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