,h4 ,,res4 #egc ,in the ,house of ,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41 ,may #bj1 #bjad ,,resolution ,whereas1 on the night of ,april #ad1 #bjad1 #bgf female students1 most of them between #ae and #ah years old1 were abducted by ,boko ,haram from the ,government ,girls ,secondary ,school1 a boarding school located in the northeastern province of ,borno in the ,federal ,republic of ,nigeria2 ,whereas1 all public secondary schools in ,borno state were closed in ,march #bjad because of increasing attacks in the past year that have killed hundreds of students1 but the young women at the ,government ,girls ,secondary ,school were recalled to take their final exams2 ,whereas1 ,boko ,haram burned down several buildings before opening fire on soldiers and police who were guarding the ,government ,girls ,secondary ,school and forcing the students into trucks2 ,whereas1 according to local officials in ,borno state1 #ec students were able to flee their captors1 and the rest remain abducted2 ,whereas1 there are reports that the abducted girls have been sold as brides to ,islamist militants for the equivalent of #ab each2 ,whereas1 the group popularly known as ,boko ,haram1 which loosely translates from the ,hausa language to ,western education is sin1 is known to oppose the education of girls2 ,whereas1 on ,april #ad1 #bjad1 hours before the kidnapping in ,borno state1 and on ,may #b1 #bjad1 ,boko ,haram bombed bus stations in ,abuja1 ,nigeria1 killing at least #id people and wounding over #afj1 making it the deadliest set of attacks ever in ,nigeria's capital2 ,whereas1 ,boko ,haram has kidnapped girls in the past to use as cooks and sex slaves1 and has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in ,borno state on ,april #ad1 #bjad2 ,whereas1 late ,may #e1 #bjad1 suspected ,boko ,haram gunmen kidnapped an additional #h girls1 ranging in age from #ab to #ae1 from a village in northeast ,nigeria2 ,whereas1 reports estimate that more than #ejj students and #ajj teachers have been killed by ,boko ,haram and have destroyed roughly #ejj schools in northern ,nigeria1 leaving more than #ae1jjj students without access to education2 ,whereas1 ,boko ,haram has targeted schools1 mosques1 churches1 villages1 and agricultural centers1 as well as government facilities1 in an armed campaign to create an ,islamic state in northern ,nigeria1 prompting the ,president of ,nigeria to declare a state of emergency in three of the country's northeastern states in ,may #bjac2 ,whereas1 human rights groups have indicated that the ,nigerian state security forces should improve efforts to protect civilians during offensive operations against ,boko ,haram2 ,whereas1 according to nongovernmental organizations1 more than #a1ejj people have been killed in attacks by ,boko ,haram or reprisals by ,nigerian security forces this year alone1 and that almost #d1jjj people have been killed in ,boko ,haram attacks since #bjaa2 ,whereas1 the enrollment1 retention1 and completion of education for girls in ,nigeria remains a major challenge2 ,whereas1 according to the ,united ,nations ,children's ,emergency ,fund 7,,unicef71 some #d1gjj1jjj children of primary school age are still not in school in ,nigeria1 with attendance rates lowest in the north2 ,whereas1 studies have found that school children in ,nigeria1 particularly those in the northern provinces1 are at a disadvantage in their education1 with #cg percent of primary-age girls in the rural northeast not attending school1 and #cj percent of boys not attending school2 ,whereas1 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 society2 ,whereas ,united ,states security assistance to ,nigeria has emphasized military professionalization1 peacekeeping support and training1 and border and maritime security2 ,whereas1 the ,department of ,state designated ,boko ,haram as a ,foreign ,terrorist ,organization in ,november #bjac1 recognizing the threat posed by the group's large-scale and indiscriminate attacks against civilians1 including women and children2 ,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 security2 and ,whereas these radical ,islamist groups1 which include ,ansar al-,sharia1 ,al-,qaeda in the ,islamic ,maghreb1 ,the ,national ,movement for ,unity and ,jihad in ,west ,africa1 and others have carried out deadly attacks in the region and constitute a growing threat to ,north and ,west ,africa3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 expresses its strong support for the people of ,nigeria1 especially the parents and families of the girls abducted by ,boko ,haram in ,borno state1 and calls for the immediate1 safe return of the girls2 7#b7 condemns ,boko ,haram for its violent attacks on civilian targets1 including schools1 mosques1 churches1 villages1 and agricultural centers in ,nigeria2 7#c7 encourages the ,government of ,nigeria to strengthen efforts to protect children seeking to obtain an education and to hold those who conduct such violent attacks accountable2 7#d7 commends efforts by the ,united ,states ,government to hold terrorist organizations1 such as ,boko ,haram1 accountable2 7#e7 supports offers of ,united ,states assistance to the government of ,nigeria in the search for these abducted girls and encourages the government of ,nigeria to work with the ,united ,states and other concerned governments to resolve this tragic situation2 7#f7 recognizes that every individual1 regardless of gender1 should have the opportunity to pursue an education without fear of discrimination2 7#g7 encourages the ,department of ,state and the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development to continue their support for initiatives that promote the human rights of women and girls in ,nigeria2 7#h7 urges the ,president to immediately strengthen ,united ,states security1 law enforcement1 and intelligence cooperation with appropriate ,nigerian forces1 including offering ,united ,states personnel to support operations to locate and rescue the more than #bjj schoolgirls kidnapped by ,boko ,haram1 and to support ,nigerian efforts to counter this ,united ,states designated foreign terrorist organization2 and 7#i7 calls on the ,president to provide to ,congress a comprehensive strategy to counter the growing threat posed by radical ,islamist terrorist groups in ,west ,africa1 the ,sahel1 and ,north ,africa4 ,clerk4