WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)—Representative Eliot L. Engel (D-New York), the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Monday, May 5, made the following statement regarding the abduction of hundreds of Nigerian girls by Boko Haram, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization:
“The recent abduction of more than 200 Nigerian girls by Boko Haram is a cowardly and despicable act and a horrific abuse of basic human dignity and human rights.
Nearly three weeks after their kidnapping, the fate of these girls remains uncertain. What we do know is that Boko Haram is a terrorist organization doing serious harm to the citizens of northern Nigeria and threatening the stability and security of the entire region. They need to be stopped.
The government of Nigeria must do whatever it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice, and I urge the State Department to keep working with our African allies to help find these girls and reunite them with their families as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), co-chairs of the U.S. Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking, released the following statement condemning the actions of the terrorist organization Boko Haram, which announced today their intent to sell more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian girls into slavery.
“Boko Haram’s disgusting announcement shows a criminal disregard for the most fundamental of human rights. Sadly, while this event is tragically large in scope, it is neither new to Nigeria nor isolated to that corner of the globe. Human trafficking is a horrific reality faced by more than a million children around the world annually, and we will continue the fight to combat it both at home and abroad.”
Blumenthal and Portman are both co-sponsors of a Senate resolution condemning the kidnapping.
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Preceding provided by Congressman Engel and Senator Blumenthal