[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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