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Regular Session, 2014
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 137
BY SENATOR PETERSON
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. Condemns the April 14, 2014, abduction of two hundred
thirty-four Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram.
A RESOLUTION1
To condemn the abduction of female students by armed militants from the Government Girls2
Secondary School in the northeastern province of Borno in the Federal Republic of3
Nigeria.4
WHEREAS, on the night of April 14, 2014, as many as 234 female students, most5
of them between 16 and 18 years old, were abducted by armed militants from the6
Government Girls Secondary School, a boarding school located in the northeastern province7
of Borno in the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and8
WHEREAS, the militants burned down several buildings before opening fire on9
soldiers and police who were guarding the school and forcing the students into trucks; and10
WHEREAS, according to local officials in Borno state, about 43 students were able11
to flee their captors, and the rest remain missing; and 12
WHEREAS, all public secondary schools in Borno state were closed in March 201413
because of increasing attacks in the past year that have killed hundreds of students, but the14
young women at the Government Girls Secondary School were recalled to take their final15
exams; and16
WHEREAS, the group popularly known as "Boko Haram", which loosely translates17
from the Hausa language to "western education is sin", is known to oppose the education of18 SR NO. 137
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girls, has kidnapped girls in the past to use as cooks and sex slaves, and is thought to be1
responsible for the April 14, 2014, kidnapping in Borno state; and2
WHEREAS, there are reports that the abducted girls have been sold as brides to3
Islamist militants for the equivalent of twelve dollars each; and4
WHEREAS, Boko Haram has targeted schools, mosques, churches, villages, and5
agricultural centers, as well as government facilities, in an armed campaign to create an6
Islamic state in northern Nigeria, prompting the president of Nigeria to declare a state of7
emergency in three of the country's northeastern states in May 2013; and 8
WHEREAS, according to the Brookings Institution, Boko Haram burned down or9
destroyed fifty schools and killed approximately thirty teachers in Nigeria in 2013, leaving10
tens of thousands of children unable to attend school; and11
WHEREAS, on April 14, 2014, hours before the kidnapping in Borno state, Boko12
Haram bombed a bus station in Abuja, Nigeria, killing at least seventy-five people and13
wounding over one hundred, making it the deadliest attack ever in Nigeria's capitol; and14
WHEREAS, Amnesty International estimates that more than 1,500 people have been15
killed in attacks by Boko Haram or reprisals by Nigerian security forces this year alone, and16
the Council on Foreign Relations estimates that almost 4,000 people have been killed in17
Boko Haram attacks since 2011; and18
WHEREAS, according to the United Nations, girls' education is a major challenge19
in Nigeria and 4,700,000 children of primary school age are still not in school with20
attendance rates lowest in the north; and21
WHEREAS, the advancement of women around the world is a foreign policy priority22
for the United States; and23
WHEREAS, women and girls must be allowed to go to school without fear of24
violence and unjust treatment so that they can take their rightful place as equal citizens of25
and contributors to the world.26
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana27
does hereby: 28
(1) Express its strong support for the people of Nigeria, especially the parents and29
families of the girls abducted by Boko Haram in Borno state, and calls for the immediate,30 SR NO. 137
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safe return of the girls. 1
(2) Condemn Boko Haram for its violent attacks on civilian targets, including2
schools, mosques, churches, villages, and agricultural centers in Nigeria. 3
(3) Encourage the government of Nigeria to strengthen efforts to protect the ability4
of children to obtain an education and to hold those who conduct such violent attacks5
accountable.6
(4) Encourage efforts by the United States Government to support the capacity of the7
government of Nigeria to provide security for schools and to hold terrorist organizations,8
such as Boko Haram, accountable.9
(5) Urge timely civilian assistance from the United States and allied African nations10
in rescuing and reintegrating the abducted girls.11
(6) Recognize that every individual, regardless of gender, should have the12
opportunity to pursue an education without fear of discrimination.13
(7) Reaffirm its commitment to ending discrimination and violence against women14
and girls, to ensuring the safety and welfare of women and girls, and to pursuing policies that15
guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls statewide.16
(9) Encourages the Department of State, the United States Agency for International17
Development, and the Department of Defense to continue their support for initiatives that18
positively impact the ability of women and girls to fully access their human rights. 19
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the20
secretary of the United States Department of State, the secretary of the United States21
Department of Defense, and to the Administrator of the United States Agency for22
International Development.23
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by J. Ashley Mitchell.
DIGEST
Peterson (SR 137)
Condemns the abduction of female students by armed militants from the Government Girls
Secondary School in the northeastern province of Borno in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.