Franca Ogbu was the first person in her family to attend college, but her education was cut short when another student at Nigeria’s Federal University of Technology attacked her with acid after she refused to date him.
Franca has spent the last year in a hospital bed recovering from her extreme, disfiguring injuries. She’s undergone 11 surgeries and needs at least 13 more. Meanwhile, her attacker, Chibuzor Bright Nkire, has walked free because Nigerian prosecutors refuse to hold him accountable.
Now, Busayo Obisakin (a Nigerian woman who grew up in a poor family similar to Franca’s)
The attack against Franca wasn’t unique — “acid baths,” meant to disfigure or kill women who are thought to have scorned men, have been described as “incessant” and “disturbingly common” by Nigerian newspapers.
Busayo knows that the longer Franca’s attacker goes unprosecuted, the less likely he is ever to face consequences for his actions. And more women like Franca will be in danger if the criminal justice system lets men think they can get away with acts of violence.
Nigeria’s First Lady has recently taken a stand against violence targeting women and girls, so Busayo and other local activists believe an international outcry about Franca’s attacker will force the government to take action. Please sign Busayo’s petition right now demanding the Nigerian government prosecute Franca’s attacker and regulate the sale of acid as a weapon:
Thanks for being a change-maker,
– Shelby and the Change.org team
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