•HRES 617 IH 
advantage in their education, with 37 percent of primary- 
age girls in the rural northeast not attending school, and 
30 percent of boys not attending school; 
Whereas, women and girls must be allowed to go to school 
without fear of violence and unjust treatment so that 
they can take their rightful place as equal citizens of and 
contributors to society; 
Whereas United States security assistance to Nigeria has em-
phasized military professionalization, peacekeeping sup-
port and training, and border and maritime security; 
Whereas, the Department of State designated Boko Haram 
as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in November 2013, 
recognizing the threat posed by the group’s large-scale 
and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, including 
women and children; 
Whereas Boko Haram is one of a number of radical Islamist 
terrorist organizations and extremist groups that pose a 
growing threat to United States interests in the region as 
well as broader peace and security; and 
Whereas these radical Islamist groups, which include Ansar 
al-Sharia, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the National 
Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, and oth-
ers have carried out deadly attacks in the region and con-
stitute a growing threat to North and West Africa: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses its strong support for the people 
of Nigeria, especially the parents and families of the 
girls abducted by Boko Haram in Borno state, and 
calls for the immediate, safe return of the girls; 
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•HRES 617 IH 
(2) condemns Boko Haram for its violent at-
tacks on civilian targets, including schools, mosques, 
churches, villages, and agricultural centers in Nige-
ria; 
(3) encourages the Government of Nigeria to 
strengthen efforts to protect children seeking to ob-
tain an education and to hold those who conduct 
such violent attacks accountable; 
(4) commends efforts by the United States Gov-
ernment to hold terrorist organizations, such as 
Boko Haram, accountable; 
(5) supports offers of United States assistance 
to the government of Nigeria in the search for these 
abducted girls and encourages the government of Ni-
geria to work with the United States and other con-
cerned governments to resolve this tragic situation; 
(6) recognizes that every individual, regardless 
of gender, should have the opportunity to pursue an 
education without fear of discrimination; 
(7) encourages the Department of State and 
the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment to continue their support for initiatives that 
promote the human rights of women and girls in Ni-
geria; 
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•HRES 617 IH 
(8) 
urges 
the 
President 
to 
immediately 
strengthen United States security, law enforcement, 
and intelligence cooperation with appropriate Nige-
rian forces, including offering United States per-
sonnel to support operations to locate and rescue the 
more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko 
Haram, and to support Nigerian efforts to counter 
this United States designated foreign terrorist orga-
nization; and 
(9) calls on the President to provide to Con-
gress a comprehensive strategy to counter the grow-
ing threat posed by radical Islamist terrorist groups 
in West Africa, the Sahel, and North Africa. 
Æ 
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