Harrisburg, May 7th, 2014 – The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by State Senator Vincent Hughes expressing sympathy to the victims of the recent mass kidnapping in Nigeria. More than 300 teenage girls were abducted from a local government secondary school by Islamic militants in mid-April. The abductors objected to the girls receiving a non-Islamic education including learning math and science.
“This is a very tragic and disturbing situation that has occurred,” said Senator Hughes. “We should all pay attention to this issue and take a collective stance against this kidnapping. According to numerous reports, these young girls are being forced to be wives, sex slaves, and suffer other types of abuse from their kidnappers. Silence is unacceptable.”
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The resolution passed by the Senate offered “strong, unified and unwavering support to the kidnapping victims, their families, and the people of Nigeria as they work for the return of the girls.” The resolution also noted that the Pennsylvania Senate has a long bipartisan history of working against human trafficking of any kind in both the United States and around the world.
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“These young school girls were simply trying to get an education, which is an acknowledged universal human right,” said Senator Hughes. “I’m proud that my colleagues in the Pennsylvania Senate have sent a unified message that we are paying attention and this kind of kidnapping is unacceptable anywhere in the world.”
Senator Vincent Hughes is the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. His district includes parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
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