[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 159 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 159

  Condemning al Shabaab for its practice of child conscription in the 
                            Horn of Africa.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2011

    Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California (for himself, Ms. Wilson of 
Florida, Mr. Campbell, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Shuler, Mr. Sensenbrenner, 
    Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Condemning al Shabaab for its practice of child conscription in the 
                            Horn of Africa.

Whereas, according to the United States State Department Trafficking in Persons 
        Report in June 2010, the recruitment and use of children in militias and 
        other fighting forces is a longstanding practice by al Shabaab which has 
        continued through this year;
Whereas a January 2010 United Nations report indicated that the number of child 
        soldiers in Somalia had increased over the last 4 years, with widespread 
        recruitment from schools, madrasas, and among street children;
Whereas, during the reporting period of the United Nations report, al Shabaab 
        used force and deception to exploit orphaned and street children for use 
        in armed conflict, carrying out assassinations, planting bombs, 
        portering, and domestic servitude;
Whereas al Shabaab systematically and forcibly conscripted children, sometimes 
        as young as 8 years of age, from southern Somalia and Puntland;
Whereas the group also forcibly recruited girls who were then ``married off'' to 
        its militia leaders and used for logistical support and intelligence 
        gathering;
Whereas al Shabaab has extended its terror internationally to Uganda where it 
        slaughtered 76 civilians including 1 United States citizen during a 
        bombing; and
Whereas al Shabaab has openly affiliated itself with the al Qaeda terrorist 
        network and has recruited from the United States proving it is a 
        legitimate threat to the national security of the United States: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives condemns al Shabaab for 
its practice of child conscription in the Horn of Africa.
                                 <all>