[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2474-S2475]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ABDUCTION OF THE CHIBOK GIRLS

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I would like to recognize a tragic 
anniversary upon us this month. Four years ago this month, the 
terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls in the dead of the night 
from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, where they were taking final exams.
  Some of the girls managed to run away, but Boko Haram abducted 219 
girls.
  These hundreds of young girls were held captive, abused, made to be 
slaves, forced into marriage with their abductors, raped, starved, and, 
in some cases, forcibly converted to Islam.
  Some have tragically died while trying to flee or even during 
childbirth.
  You might recall the global campaign on Twitter, #BringBackOurGirls, 
to urge the rescue of the girls.
  Former First Lady Michelle Obama was moved to join the campaign for 
the release of the girls, as were over 3 million people around the 
world.
  I, myself, was mortified to learn that, for the mere act of seeking 
an education, the girls were abducted and forced into child marriage or 
slavery. That is why, back then in 2014, I introduced a resolution 
condemning the Chibok abduction and calling for the immediate, safe 
return of the girls.
  Since the kidnapping, just over 100 girls have been released, leaving 
over 100 girls still missing. I fear some may have already perished.
  Parents marked the fourth anniversary on Saturday by marching with 
thousands of others to the school in Chibok where the girls were 
abducted in 2014.
  I think we should join them here in the Senate in remembering this 
tragic anniversary.
  That is why I have introduced, with some of my female colleagues, a 
resolution calling for the immediate release of all Boko Haram 
captives, especially the remaining Chibok girls.

[[Page S2475]]

  The girls who have returned have told of the deplorable abuses Boko 
Haram fighters made them suffer.
  No one should be subject to the depravity of an organization that 
doesn't value human life, let alone young girls simply trying to get an 
education.
  Unfortunately, since 2012, Boko Haram has conducted a violent 
campaign of mass kidnappings of women, girls, and boys in Nigeria, 
Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
  Boko Haram remains one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the 
world, killing more than 13,000 people since 2013. The United Nations 
High Commissioner for Refugees says almost 2.5 million people in 
Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger have been displaced--that is forced 
from their homes--because of Boko Haram's brutality.
  And the terror continues.
  Just in February, Boko Haram militants stormed the town of Dapchi in 
Nigeria and abducted 111 girls and 1 boy.
  Thankfully, most of those children have been returned to their 
families, but, heartbreakingly, some died during their ordeal, and one 
girl still remains a hostage.
  The New York Times recently ran a stirring front page piece about 
some of the Chibok girls who have been freed. I applaud the 
extraordinary bravery of those survivors, who have come forward to 
share their stories and experiences at great risk to themselves.
  The courage and strength of the girls who are still being held 
captive to remain resilient in the face of unspeakable brutality is 
deeply moving.
  As a testament to their fortitude, let us all recommit ourselves to 
ending discrimination and violence against women and girls, to ensuring 
the safety and welfare of women and girls, to pursuing policies that 
guarantee girls education, and to the release of the remaining Boko 
Haram captives.
  Thank you.

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