[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 170 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 170
Recognizing the Fifth Anniversary of the Chibok Girls Kidnapping by the
Boko Haram Terrorist Organization and calling on the Government of
Nigeria to redouble efforts to bring an end to the conflict in
northeast and central Nigeria and to provide assistance to the victims.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 11, 2019
Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Collins, and Mrs.
Shaheen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the Fifth Anniversary of the Chibok Girls Kidnapping by the
Boko Haram Terrorist Organization and calling on the Government of
Nigeria to redouble efforts to bring an end to the conflict in
northeast and central Nigeria and to provide assistance to the victims.
Whereas the Boko Haram is a Nigeria-based militant group with links to Al-Qaeda
in the Islamic Maghreb and the Islamic State;
Whereas Boko Haram's campaign of mass and systemic brutality has led to the
deaths of tens of thousands of individuals in northeast and central
Nigeria and, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, has caused the displacement of 2,400,000 people in Nigeria,
Cameroon, Chad, and Niger;
Whereas the Department of State designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization in 2013, and supports efforts to defeat Boko Haram with
security and development tools;
Whereas Boko Haram rejects modern education and science, is engaged in an armed
revolt against the Government of Nigeria, and has carried out vicious
campaigns of violence against schools, public institutions, law
enforcement, and civilians;
Whereas, since 2012, Boko Haram has conducted brutal mass kidnappings of women,
girls, and boys, and has abducted thousands of women and girls from
schools and markets, during raids on villages and houses, and on public
transportation;
Whereas, on April 14, 2014, Boko Haram militants attacked a boarding school in
Chibok in Borno State, where girls from surrounding areas had gathered
to take final exams;
Whereas the Boko Haram terrorists arrived in Chibok late at night, fired their
guns indiscriminately, burned down houses, raided the dormitories, and
kidnapped 276 girls who were between 12 and 17 years of age;
Whereas 57 girls escaped by running into the forest or jumping off the
kidnappers' trucks as they were driving away;
Whereas the 219 kidnapped girls were held captive, abused, enslaved, repeatedly
raped, starved, and, in some cases, forcibly converted to Islam and
married to their captors;
Whereas child, early, and forced marriages are serious human rights violations;
Whereas the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-
General and the United Nations Security Council, condemned the abduction
and called for the immediate release of the girls;
Whereas Boko Haram ruthlessly killed some of the kidnapped girls for trying to
escape, while other girls died during childbirth while in captivity;
Whereas thousands of women, girls, and boys kidnapped by Boko Haram have endured
similar horrific experiences;
Whereas the parents of the kidnapped girls and concerned citizens banded
together and embarked upon a global awareness campaign to urge the
rescue of the girls, using the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls,
through which more than 3,300,000 people around the world expressed
their outrage at the abductions and continue maintaining a vigil for the
girls' return to their families;
Whereas the United States Government sent advisors to Nigeria and supplied
surveillance and reconnaissance to help rescue the girls;
Whereas 21 of the kidnapped girls were released in October 2016, and an
additional 82 girls were released in May 2017;
Whereas nearly 5 years since their abduction, more than 100 girls remain in
captivity and are subjected to deplorable abuses as recounted by the
girls who have been released;
Whereas many of the released girls are being kept in a government facility in
Abuja away from their families;
Whereas despite claims by the Government of Nigeria that Boko Haram had been
defeated, the terrorist organization continues to mount attacks against
civilians, schools, and security forces;
Whereas Boko Haram has increasingly used children, including girls, in suicide
attacks; with 158 children used in 2017, a significant increase from the
19 used for such purpose in 2016;
Whereas Boko Haram continues to abduct women and girls in the northern region of
Nigeria, routinely forcing girls to choose between forced marriages to
its fighters (for the purpose of sexual slavery) or becoming suicide
bombers;
Whereas on February 19, 2018, Boko Haram militants stormed the town of Dapchi
and abducted 110 girls from the Government Girls Science and Technical
School and 2 other children;
Whereas 106 of the children from the Dapchi kidnapping have been released and 5
of the children are presumed to have died in captivity;
Whereas Leah Sharibu remains a hostage because she refuses to convert to Islam;
Whereas a surge in violence at the end of 2018 has resulted in the displacement
of an additional 80,000 people, further burdening already overwhelmed
communities and humanitarian services;
Whereas according to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the
Nigerian Red Cross Society, an estimated 17,000 individuals from Nigeria
are missing, including 7,100 children;
Whereas for several years the United States Government has provided assistance
for women and girls targeted by Boko Haram and individuals displaced by
Boko Haram violence, and has assisted in combating Boko Haram;
Whereas in section 1(c) of Public Law 114-266 (130 Stat. 1383), Congress stated
that ``lack of economic opportunity and access to education, justice,
and other social services contributes to the ability of Boko Haram to
radicalize and recruit individuals'';
Whereas educating girls transforms societies for the better by giving girls the
knowledge and tools to make positive decisions about their futures, live
healthier lives, provide nurturing environments for their families, and
play active roles in their communities and economies;
Whereas the United States Government has appropriated $11,000,000 in fiscal
years 2017 and 2018 for programs to combat child marriage;
Whereas in section 2 of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (Public Law
115-68; 131 Stat. 1202), Congress found that ``[w]omen in conflict-
affected regions have achieved significant success in . . . moderating
violent extremism . . . and stabilizing societies by enhancing the
effectiveness of security services, peacekeeping efforts, institutions,
and decisionmaking processes''; and
Whereas section 4 of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (22 U.S.C.
2152j) states, ``It shall be the policy of the United States to promote
the meaningful participation of women in all aspects of overseas
conflict prevention, management, and resolution, and post-conflict
relief and recovery efforts'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the tragic fifth anniversary of the Chibok
girls kidnapping and calls for the immediate release of all
Boko Haram captives, especially the remaining Chibok girls and
Leah Sharibu;
(2) applauds the extraordinary bravery of survivors of Boko
Haram, who continue to come forward to share their stories and
experiences at great personal risk;
(3) urges the Government of Nigeria, in cooperation with
regional partners and the international community, to redouble
efforts to defeat Boko Haram;
(4) calls on the Government of Nigeria--
(A) to prioritize the recovery of women and girls
who have been abducted and enslaved by Boko Haram;
(B) to work to determine the whereabouts of the
thousands of missing people in Nigeria and provide a
full accounting of the number of missing girls;
(C) to undertake concrete efforts to reduce the
stigmatization and marginalization of those abducted by
Boko Haram and provide counseling and support;
(D) to allow women and girls to be reunited with
their families whenever appropriate;
(E) to appropriately channel $1,000,000,000 from
the Excess Crude Account, as approved by the Nigerian
State Governors in December 2017, to humanitarian
assistance, development, education, and
deradicalization programs; and
(F) to accept international assistance in a timely
manner when offered;
(5) encourages continued efforts by the United States
Government to defeat Boko Haram through development and
security partnerships with Nigeria and other regional partners;
(6) calls on the Department of State and the Department of
Defense to rapidly implement the 5-year regional strategy
required under Public Law 114-266 to address the grievous
threat posed by Boko Haram and other violent extremist
organizations;
(7) requests the Department of State and the United States
Agency for International Development to meet their obligation
under section 7059(e)(2) of the Department of State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017
(division J of Public Law 115-31) to create a strategy to
address the needs of women and girls adversely impacted by
extremism and conflict;
(8) requests that the Department of State track and report
the number of missing persons kidnapped by Boko Haram and
include such information in its annual Trafficking in Persons
Report; and
(9) commends the swift enactment of the Women, Peace, and
Security Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-68), and encourages the
President to immediately release the Women, Peace, and Security
Strategy required under section 5 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2152j-
1).
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