III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 170 

Recognizing the Fifth Anniversary of the Chibok Girls Kidnapping by the 

Boko Haram Terrorist Organization and calling on the Government 

of Nigeria to redouble efforts to bring an end to the conflict in northeast 

and central Nigeria and to provide assistance to the victims. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 11, 2019 

Ms. BALDWIN (for herself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. COLLINS, and Mrs. 

SHAHEEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the Fifth Anniversary of the Chibok Girls Kidnapping by the Boko Haram Terrorist Organization and 

calling on the Government of Nigeria to redouble efforts 

to bring an end to the conflict in northeast and central 

Nigeria and to provide assistance to the victims. 

Whereas the Boko Haram is a Nigeria-based militant group 

with links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the 

Islamic State; 

Whereas Boko Haram’s campaign of mass and systemic brutality has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals in northeast and central Nigeria and, according 

to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 


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has caused the displacement of 2,400,000 people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger; 

Whereas the Department of State designated Boko Haram as 

a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2013, and supports 

efforts to defeat Boko Haram with security and development tools; 

Whereas Boko Haram rejects modern education and science, 

is engaged in an armed revolt against the Government of 

Nigeria, and has carried out vicious campaigns of violence against schools, public institutions, law enforcement, and civilians; 

Whereas, since 2012, Boko Haram has conducted brutal 

mass kidnappings of women, girls, and boys, and has abducted thousands of women and girls from schools and 

markets, during raids on villages and houses, and on 

public transportation; 

Whereas, on April 14, 2014, Boko Haram militants attacked 

a boarding school in Chibok in Borno State, where girls 

from surrounding areas had gathered to take final exams; 

Whereas the Boko Haram terrorists arrived in Chibok late at 

night, fired their guns indiscriminately, burned down 

houses, raided the dormitories, and kidnapped 276 girls 

who were between 12 and 17 years of age; 

Whereas 57 girls escaped by running into the forest or jumping off the kidnappers’ trucks as they were driving away; 

Whereas the 219 kidnapped girls were held captive, abused, 

enslaved, repeatedly raped, starved, and, in some cases, 

forcibly converted to Islam and married to their captors; 

Whereas child, early, and forced marriages are serious human 

rights violations; 


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Whereas the international community, including the United 

Nations Secretary-General and the United Nations Security Council, condemned the abduction and called for the 

immediate release of the girls; 

Whereas Boko Haram ruthlessly killed some of the kidnapped 

girls for trying to escape, while other girls died during 

childbirth while in captivity; 

Whereas thousands of women, girls, and boys kidnapped by 

Boko Haram have endured similar horrific experiences; 

Whereas the parents of the kidnapped girls and concerned 

citizens banded together and embarked upon a global 

awareness campaign to urge the rescue of the girls, using 

the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, through which 

more than 3,300,000 people around the world expressed 

their outrage at the abductions and continue maintaining 

a vigil for the girls’ return to their families; 

Whereas the United States Government sent advisors to Nigeria and supplied surveillance and reconnaissance to 

help rescue the girls; 

Whereas 21 of the kidnapped girls were released in October 

2016, and an additional 82 girls were released in May 

2017; 

Whereas nearly 5 years since their abduction, more than 100 

girls remain in captivity and are subjected to deplorable 

abuses as recounted by the girls who have been released; 

Whereas many of the released girls are being kept in a government facility in Abuja away from their families; 

Whereas despite claims by the Government of Nigeria that 

Boko Haram had been defeated, the terrorist organization continues to mount attacks against civilians, schools, 

and security forces; 


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Whereas Boko Haram has increasingly used children, including girls, in suicide attacks; with 158 children used in 

2017, a significant increase from the 19 used for such 

purpose in 2016; 

Whereas Boko Haram continues to abduct women and girls 

in the northern region of Nigeria, routinely forcing girls 

to choose between forced marriages to its fighters (for 

the purpose of sexual slavery) or becoming suicide bombers; 

Whereas on February 19, 2018, Boko Haram militants 

stormed the town of Dapchi and abducted 110 girls from 

the Government Girls Science and Technical School and 

2 other children; 

Whereas 106 of the children from the Dapchi kidnapping 

have been released and 5 of the children are presumed 

to have died in captivity; 

Whereas Leah Sharibu remains a hostage because she refuses 

to convert to Islam; 

Whereas a surge in violence at the end of 2018 has resulted 

in the displacement of an additional 80,000 people, further burdening already overwhelmed communities and 

humanitarian services; 

Whereas according to the International Committee of the Red 

Cross and the Nigerian Red Cross Society, an estimated 

17,000 individuals from Nigeria are missing, including 

7,100 children; 

Whereas for several years the United States Government has 

provided assistance for women and girls targeted by Boko 

Haram and individuals displaced by Boko Haram violence, and has assisted in combating Boko Haram; 


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Whereas in section 1(c) of Public Law 114–266 (130 Stat. 

1383), Congress stated that ‘‘lack of economic opportunity and access to education, justice, and other social 

services contributes to the ability of Boko Haram to 

radicalize and recruit individuals’’; 

Whereas educating girls transforms societies for the better by 

giving girls the knowledge and tools to make positive decisions about their futures, live healthier lives, provide 

nurturing environments for their families, and play active 

roles in their communities and economies; 

Whereas the United States Government has appropriated 

$11,000,000 in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 for programs 

to combat child marriage; 

Whereas in section 2 of the Women, Peace, and Security Act 

of 2017 (Public Law 115–68; 131 Stat. 1202), Congress 

found that ‘‘[w]omen in conflict-affected regions have 

achieved significant success in . . . moderating violent 

extremism . . . and stabilizing societies by enhancing the 

effectiveness of security services, peacekeeping efforts, institutions, and decisionmaking processes’’; and 

Whereas section 4 of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 

2017 (22 U.S.C. 2152j) states, ‘‘It shall be the policy of 

the United States to promote the meaningful participation of women in all aspects of overseas conflict prevention, management, and resolution, and post-conflict relief 

and recovery efforts’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the tragic fifth anniversary of the 

3 Chibok girls kidnapping and calls for the immediate 


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1 release of all Boko Haram captives, especially the re2 maining Chibok girls and Leah Sharibu; 

3 (2) applauds the extraordinary bravery of sur4 vivors of Boko Haram, who continue to come for5 ward to share their stories and experiences at great 

6 personal risk; 

7 (3) urges the Government of Nigeria, in co8 operation with regional partners and the inter9 national community, to redouble efforts to defeat 

10 Boko Haram; 

11 (4) calls on the Government of Nigeria— 

12 (A) to prioritize the recovery of women and 

13 girls who have been abducted and enslaved by 

14 Boko Haram; 

15 (B) to work to determine the whereabouts 

16 of the thousands of missing people in Nigeria 

17 and provide a full accounting of the number of 

18 missing girls; 

19 (C) to undertake concrete efforts to reduce 

20 the stigmatization and marginalization of those 

21 abducted by Boko Haram and provide coun22 seling and support; 

23 (D) to allow women and girls to be re24 united with their families whenever appropriate; 


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1 (E) to appropriately channel 

2 $1,000,000,000 from the Excess Crude Ac3 count, as approved by the Nigerian State Gov4 ernors in December 2017, to humanitarian as5 sistance, development, education, and 

6 deradicalization programs; and 

7 (F) to accept international assistance in a 

8 timely manner when offered; 

9 (5) encourages continued efforts by the United 

10 States Government to defeat Boko Haram through 

11 development and security partnerships with Nigeria 

12 and other regional partners; 

13 (6) calls on the Department of State and the 

14 Department of Defense to rapidly implement the 5- 

15 year regional strategy required under Public Law 

16 114–266 to address the grievous threat posed by 

17 Boko Haram and other violent extremist organiza18 tions; 

19 (7) requests the Department of State and the 

20 United States Agency for International Development 

21 to meet their obligation under section 7059(e)(2) of 

22 the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and 

23 Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017 (divi24 sion J of Public Law 115–31) to create a strategy 


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1 to address the needs of women and girls adversely 

2 impacted by extremism and conflict; 

3 (8) requests that the Department of State track 

4 and report the number of missing persons kidnapped 

5 by Boko Haram and include such information in its 

6 annual Trafficking in Persons Report; and 

7 (9) commends the swift enactment of the 

8 Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (Public 

9 Law 115–68), and encourages the President to im10 mediately release the Women, Peace, and Security 

11 Strategy required under section 5 of such Act (22 

12 U.S.C. 2152j–1). 

Æ 


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