JCPA: U.S. moral leadership needed around the world

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – The failure of the Nigerian government to take immediate and effective steps to rescue hundreds of girls kidnapped from their school with the intention that they be sold into marital slavery highlights the need for more assertive U.S. leadership in protecting human rights, said the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

“For three weeks, we have known about these missing girls, violently taken and held captive without any appreciable effort to rescue them. Now, with the release of a video message from the head of the group that carried out this heinous crime, we all are now witnesses as these promising youths, with so much future potential for themselves and their communities, are instead being sold as slaves,” said JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow.

“This is a horror for the girls and their families and unacceptable to anyone with a conscience. Yet their government remains unable or unwilling to help. The United States, with our unique global influence, has a moral responsibility to marshal international support and bring whatever pressure is necessary to achieve their rescue.”

“While we are outraged by these abductions in Nigeria, we are also deeply troubled by what seems to be an escalating series of human rights atrocities taking place around the world,” said JCPA Chair Susan W. Turnbull. “In the Central African Republic, mass killings are becoming regular occurrences, resulting in the deaths of at least 2,000 and the displacement of almost a million people. Religious and ethnic conflicts are raging in Burma and Sudan as well, taking a terrible toll on the civilian populations, and the destabilizing civil war in Syria continues unabated with the number of deaths now well over 100,000. It is not easy to find solutions to these situations, but we believe the United States, as a reflection of our values as a nation, should exercise even greater global leadership to advance the cause of human rights.”

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Meanwhile,  U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and member of the Subcommittee on African Affairs, released the following statement regarding the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian school girls:

“It is unconscionable that more than 200 young women attempting to gain an education have been kidnapped by the extremist terrorist group Boko Haram. Even more disturbing is the fact that they intend to sell these girls into slavery and forced marriages.  There is no question that time is of the essence. I urge the United States and our allies around the world to coordinate efforts to bring these girls home safely. Human trafficking is inexcusable, and Boko Haram must be brought to justice.

“I join many of my Congressional colleagues and people around the world in thinking of the families of the kidnapped girls and praying for their speedy and safe return.”

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) issued this statement: “Human sex trafficking remains one of the most horrific crimes that plagues our world. The atrocities in Nigeria over the past several weeks has awakened the global conscience and reminded us of this evil. Hundreds of young school girls in Nigeria were kidnapped by Boko Haram with the intent to sell them into slavery or marriage. These young girls were taken simply because they had the courage to seek an education and a better life.

“As a father of a daughter not much older than these teenagers, I cannot imagine the incredible pain and dread their parents are experiencing.

“I am heartened that the Obama Administration has taken initial steps to help assist efforts to return these girls to freedom and to their families. Unfortunately, the underlying threat posed by extremist terrorist groups in Nigeria and throughout the region has been growing. Whether it is Boko Haram, Ansar al-Sharia, or al Qaeda, I look forward to this Administration working with Congress to examine how we can address this growing threat to international peace, security and the protection of innocent lives. For now, we must focus on finding, and returning these girls to their homes. May God watch over them and those seeking their return.”

Preceding provided by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs,  Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Eric Cantor