[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10183-H10185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONDEMNING THE FORCED ABDUCTION OF UGANDAN CHILDREN AND THEIR USE AS 
                                SOLDIERS

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 309) condemning the forced 
abduction of Ugandan children and their use as soldiers, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 309

       Whereas the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has abducted 
     approximately 10,000 children, some as young as 8 years old, 
     in northern Uganda to support its efforts to overthrow the 
     Government of Uganda;
       Whereas the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 
     March 1998 condemned ``in the strongest terms'' the LRA's 
     child abductions;
       Whereas children kidnapped by the LRA are forced to raid 
     and loot villages, fight in the front lines against the 
     Ugandan army, serve as sexual slaves to rebel commanders, and 
     help kill other abducted children who try to escape;
       Whereas the LRA, led by Joseph Kony, has continued to kill, 
     torture, maim, rape, and abduct large numbers of civilians, 
     virtually enslaving numerous children;
       Whereas LRA child abductees serve as surrogates for 
     Sudanese government forces against the south;
       Whereas Sudanese government soldiers deliver food supplies, 
     vehicles, ammunition, and arms to LRA base camps in 
     government-controlled southern Sudan;
       Whereas children who manage to escape from LRA captivity 
     find their families displaced or deceased and have little 
     access to rehabilitation programs, and in many instances 
     their families are afraid for their children turned toy 
     soldiers to return home;
       Whereas children are conscripted, coaxed, or tricked into 
     volunteering for the armed forces and are sometimes sold to 
     armies and armed groups by impoverished families;
       Whereas the United Nations has recommended the 
     establishment, through the Optional Protocol to the 
     Convention on the Rights of the Child, of age 18 as the 
     minimum age for recruitment and participation of individuals 
     in armed forces; and
       Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross, the 
     United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations 
     High Commission on Refugees, and the United Nations High 
     Commissioner on Human Rights, as well as many nongovernmental 
     organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights 
     Watch, also support the establishment of 18 as the minimum 
     age for military recruitment and participation in armed 
     conflict: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns the abduction of children by the Lord's 
     Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda and calls for the 
     immediate release of all LRA child captives;
       (2) urges Olara Otunnu, the recently appointed United 
     Nations Special Representative on Children and Armed 
     Conflict, to take appropriate measures to resolve the LRA 
     problem;
       (3) encourages the United Nations Committee on the Rights 
     of the Child to investigate the situation in northern Uganda;
       (4) calls on the Al-Bashir government to cease supporting 
     the LRA in the abductions and kidnapping of children in 
     Northern Uganda;
       (5) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to 
     support efforts to end the abduction of children by the LRA 
     and obtain their release; and
       (6) asks the President to provide more support to United 
     Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations working to 
     rehabilitate former child soldiers and reintegrate them into 
     society.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)


                             General Leave

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.

[[Page H10184]]

Payne), a member of our Committee on International Relations, for 
introducing this resolution. I am pleased to be a cosponsor.
  This resolution calls our attention to one of the most abhorrent 
human rights abuses in the world today. The government of Sudan 
actively supports a rebel group in northern Uganda that calls itself 
the Lord's Resistance Army. That terrorist group kidnaps the children 
of innocent Ugandan villagers and turns them into slaves or soldiers 
who then prey upon their families or their communities.
  In a report called ``Scars of Death,'' Human Rights Watch states 
that, ``In effect, children abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army 
become slaves: their labor, their bodies, and their lives are all at 
the disposal of their rebel captors.''
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and 
speak out against these horrible practices.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 309, condemning the 
forced abduction of Ugandan children and their use as soldiers. I thank 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the chairman of the Committee 
on International Relations, and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Hamilton), ranking member, for helping to bring this important 
resolution to the House Floor.
  Let me also thank my colleagues, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Berman); the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the ranking 
member of our committee; the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos); 
and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) for being as concerned as 
I am about the plight of children in northern Uganda.
  Since 1994, it is estimated that from 8,000 to 10,000 children have 
been abducted in northern Uganda. They are the innocent victims, some 
as young as 4 years old, whose situation is exacerbated by internal and 
regional conflicts.
  I had an opportunity to speak to a mother whose daughter was taken by 
the Lord's Resistance Army from a local school. The little girl's name 
was Mary. Mary was not the only one taken. She and 139 of her 
classmates were taken at gun point by the Lord's Resistance Army.
  Some of the children were rescued and told the story of what happened 
to Mary. They said that when Mary tried to run away, she was caught by 
the soldiers. When the soldiers caught her, they made an example of her 
so that other children would not run away. They forced one of her 
peers, another girl, to kill her.
  Mr. Speaker, forcing children to kill their friends is used as a tool 
to instill fear and to break the spirit and ensure that they will 
continue to be little rebels, to be slaves, to be obedient to the 
military leaders. And by instilling fear, they reduce the possibility 
of children attempting to escape.
  So, it does not come as any surprise that 90 percent of the 
casualties in the conflict in the northern part of Uganda where the 
Lord's Resistance Army is operating are women and children. They are 
the most vulnerable.
  The leader of the LRA is Joseph Kony, who has committed a series of 
human rights abuses. He is supported by the Sudan government, the 
National Islamic Front, the NIF, led by Ali Bashir and his pariah 
government that supports militarily and financially the Lord's 
Resistance Army movement in northern Uganda.

                              {time}  2300

  And so I think that we have to certainly shed light on this tragic 
example of what is happening in Uganda. Once again, Sudan, a pariah 
government which harbors terrorists, who has worked to destabilize 
countries in their region, is also continuing to commit high crimes.
  This resolution calls for more support to aid in the recovery and 
rehabilitation of children that go back into their community, and it 
would also help to stop these egregious violations of individual 
rights.
  This problem has been discussed by our President and the First Lady 
when we were in Uganda and visited some areas where these children 
live. Recently our Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, has also 
shed light on this problem. And so I am now bringing this to the House 
of Representatives to ask that we join in the chorus of those who are 
outraged by this egregious and barbaric situation which is happening.
  Once again, Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for this opportunity to 
present this.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
commend the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) for his leadership 
role in this very important human rights measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the distinguished chairman of the 
Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights of our 
Committee on International Relations.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, given the lateness of the hour, 
I will be very brief.
  I do want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) for 
authoring this legislation. I think it sends a very clear and 
unmistakable message about the Lord's Resistance Army. One has to 
wonder what Lord they are serving with the kind of atrocities that are 
committed, stealing upwards of 10,000 kids and then forcing kids, as 
was pointed out in the resolution, as young as 8 years of age, to carry 
weapons and to commit atrocities and to try to overthrow the 
government. It is absolutely appalling.
  We have had hearings in our Subcommittee on International Operations 
and Human Rights and have heard from some witnesses who spoke firsthand 
about these atrocities committed by the Lord's Resistance Army. 
Humanitarian aid workers as well. This resolution is very timely, and 
again I want to commend my good friend from New Jersey for authoring it 
and bringing to the full House's attention this terrible situation.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, today I speak in strong support of H. Con. 
Res. 309, which condemns the forced abduction of children by the rebel 
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda. I thank my esteemed 
colleague Mr. Payne for introducing this resolution. I also thank my 
fellow cosponsors: International Relations Committee Chairman Gilman, 
Mr. Lantos, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Hastings, Ms. 
McKinney, Ms. Brown and Ms. Norton. It is time for the U.S. Congress to 
add its voice to those demanding an end to the atrocities suffered by 
children in northern Uganda.
  The LRA, a bizarre Christian group supported by the fundamentalist 
Islamic government of Sudan, has kidnapped some 10,000 Ugandan children 
and forced them to fight as insurgents. Some of these children are as 
young as eight years old. Captive children raid and loot villages and 
serve in the front lines against the Ugandan army. They are also forced 
to help kill other abducted children who try to escape. Young teenage 
girls suffer the additional horror of serving as ``wives'' to ranking 
rebel soldiers. If they resist, they are beaten, sometimes severely. 
Girls may be given to several men in the course of a year.
  In July, the International Relations Committee heard moving firsthand 
testimony about the abductions from Sister Mary Rose Atuu, from the 
Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Gulu. Sister Atuu told of the 
harrowing 1992 abduction of 44 girls by LRA rebels from the school 
where she was a teacher. With great dignity, she begged the United 
States to stop the ``war'' being waged against innocent children in 
Uganda. We must not let her plea go unanswered.
  The children's plight is finally getting more international 
attention, which I believe is vital to ending their nightmare. Earlier 
this year, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights condemned ``in the 
strongest terms'' the abduction of children in northern Uganda, and 
First Lady Hillary Clinton addressed the issue in a speech while 
visiting the country in March. We must do much more, however, to 
increase international pressure on Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, 
and the Al-Bashir government in Sudan that supports him.
  This resolution condemns the abduction of children by the LRA in 
northern Uganda and calls for the immediate release of all LRA child 
captives. It urges the recently-appointed U.N. Special Representative 
on Children and Armed Conflict to aggressively address the situation, 
and encourages the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child to 
investigate. The resolution also calls on the Al-Bashir Government in 
Sudan to stop supporting the LRA and asks President Clinton to provide 
more support to U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations 
working to rehabilitate and reintegrate former child soldiers into 
society.

[[Page H10185]]

  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this important legislation 
and I urge all my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Blunt). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, House 
Concurrent Resolution 309, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as 
amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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