Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like Senator van Turnhout I wish to raise the kidnap and sale into servitude or marriage of 276 Nigerian girls. This is not news. One year ago, the leader of Boko Haram announced to the world a new policy in an attempt to enforce militant Islamism in Nigeria. He told the Nigerian Government and the international community that this group would begin kidnapping children and selling them. Human Rights Watch estimates that they have already kidnapped 25 children this year in addition to the recent kidnap of 276 children. Added to this slavery is the message from Boko Haram that girls should not be receiving an education but should, while minors, be married off. Indeed one translation of this group's name is "western education is sinful". Nobody paid any attention to the group until now and if this had happened in the developed world, there would have been absolute outrage. Borders would have been shut and defence forces mustered and a vigorous campaign launched to bring the members of Boko Haram to justice. Instead, the Nigerian Government has until recent days turned a blind eye. Boko Haram developed from an original Nigerian Taliban and is equally as cruel and barbaric as its Afghan counterparts. We need to wake up to the threat they pose to the international community and to women in particular. Perhaps the Leader could organise a debate on the matter in the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.