[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 78 (Wednesday, May 20, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H5866-H5867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           INVISIBLE CHILDREN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Imagine, if you can, living in a place so 
plagued by war and kidnapping that you have to walk up to 12 miles a 
day just to find a place to sleep at night that's safe. As Americans, I 
don't think we can fully grasp what that would be like. But, for 
thousands of children living in northern Uganda today, this is their 
daily commute. This is their life.
  For fear of being abducted by rebel leader Joseph Kony and his Lord's 
Resistance Army, children living in rural homes and villages would walk 
to town centers to sleep where they could hope to be safe. The children 
were among the victims of a conflict that began in 1986, and that 
somehow still continues today in Uganda and neighboring countries.
  Lacking support from the local population, Kony resorted to 
kidnapping children as young as 8 years old and conscripting them to 
his army. The children have been brutalized and forced to commit 
atrocities on fellow abductees and even siblings. The vicious 
initiations were meant to break the children's ties to their community 
and gain their loyalty to the LRA. More than 25,000 children have been 
abducted over the course of this 23-year conflict.
  While many Americans first learned about this issue when they saw a 
film made by college-age students called Invisible Children, many more 
remain unaware of the violence and suffering happening half a world 
away. I was recently reminded of the severity of this situation when 
students in my hometown of Hays and the community of Sterling, Kansas, 
shared with me the latest news from this conflict.
  In 2006, many were hopeful a peace agreement could be reached to 
allow a new generation of children to finally live a life free of fear. 
Although it appeared progress had been made, Kony

[[Page H5867]]

refused to sign the final agreement in 2008, and instead escalated his 
attacks. Since then, the LRA has killed more than 1,000, including more 
than 200 on Christmas Day. The LRA has also abducted more than 450 
children during this time.
  A few weeks ago, concerned citizens from around the world, in more 
than 100 cities, participated in an event called the Rescue to raise 
awareness about the conflict and call on their elected officials--
people here in this House of Representatives--to take action. Two of 
these events were held in my home State--in Wichita and Kansas City.
  I'm here today to join my voice with the voices of those that 
participated in the Rescue and to call on Congress to support efforts 
to end the violence and to rebuild shattered lives.
  People look to the United States to defend those who cannot help 
themselves, to free the oppressed, and to champion the cause of 
freedom. This Congress can be the voice for those who have none.
  As Brandon Nimz, a student at Fort Hayes State University, who is 
active in raising awareness about this issue, said in a recent letter 
to the editor, ``In this time when the world does not look very kindly 
toward the United States, I believe we must show everyone that we're 
not driven solely by a need for power and influence--we do have a 
heart. Even though we will receive no political or economic gains by 
helping these defenseless villagers in the five affected African 
nations, it is the right thing to do.''
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, tonight let us show that America does 
indeed have that heart. Please join me in doing the right thing by 
taking action to help this conflict and protect the helpless.

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