Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2015
202. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his EU colleagues, together with the United Nations, can take measures to protect women and girls under threat from Boko Haram; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8660/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have strongly condemned the appalling acts of violence being perpetrated in Nigeria and its neighbouring countries by Boko Haram. These include the abduction of more than 200 young girls by Boko Haram from a school in the Nigerian town of Chibok in April 2014 and the appalling use of children as suicide-bombers, recently including a girl thought to be as young as seven.
I have given my full support to the clear demands of the UN Secretary General and the EU High Representative that the girls abducted in Chibok be released and that those responsible be brought to justice. I am deeply disappointed that hopes that the girls would be released as a part of ceasefire discussions last October were not realised.
The EU as well as several individual EU Member States, the UN and the USA, continue to assist the Nigerian authorities in strengthening their ability to provide security and to combat terrorism. On 13 February, the UN Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the continued escalation of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram and reiterated its determination to combat all forms of terrorism. The EU Foreign Affairs Council, which I attended in Brussels on 9 February, noted that the responsibility to address the immediate security challenge in the region lies primarily with the countries most affected, and called upon them to urgently intensify cooperation and coordination. We welcomed the decision of the States in the region, endorsed by the African Union, to deploy a multinational force to combat Boko Haram, and this is now being established.
Ireland has been a particularly strong advocate of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which calls for increased participation of women in peace-making and peace-building; for greater protection for women and girls in armed conflict; and for a gender perspective to be incorporated into peace-keeping and peace-building. We will continue to encourage all UN member states, including Nigeria, to fully implement this resolution so that women and girls may be better protected from the horrific effects of armed conflicts such as the Boko Haram insurgency.
On 14 January, I launched Ireland’s second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2015-2018) which renewed our commitment to tackling the dreadful impact of conflict on women and girls. The action plan is designed to ensure that a gender perspective is incorporated into Ireland’s engagement in overseas humanitarian and development aid, peace-keeping, governance, post-conflict activities and interventions, and to bolster Ireland’s ongoing work on protection from and prevention of gender-based violence.
Our Embassy in Abuja, working locally in cooperation with the EU, UN and other key partners, remains in close contact with the Nigerian authorities on all issues related to the Boko Haram insurgency, including the appalling abduction of the schoolgirls.
