[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 302 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. J. RES. 302


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                 May 12 (legislative day, May 2), 1994

  Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
          Designating 1994 as the ``Year of the Girl Child''.

Whereas girls are the most neglected, deprived, and mistreated human resource 
        worldwide;
Whereas girls are frequently condemned to a cycle of poverty, illiteracy, 
        unwanted pregnancy, and poor health;
Whereas girls across the developing world are fed less, withdrawn from school 
        earlier, forced into hard labor sooner, and given less medical care than 
        are boys;
Whereas numerous studies indicate that girls are handicapped not only by the 
        perception that they are temporary members of a family, but also by the 
        selief that boys will be the chief breadwinners and, therefore, are more 
        deserving of scarce resources;
Whereas parents in some regions of the developing world resort to infanticide 
        rather than use the family resources to raise girl children;
Whereas girls in some regions of the world become pregnant at the onset of 
        puberty and continue to become pregnant at intervals that damage their 
        health and increase the chances of complications during pregnancy;
Whereas girls with at least a 7th grade education have \1/2\ as many pregnancies 
        as girls with less schooling;
Whereas studies indicate that infant deaths decline by 20 percent when girls in 
        developing countries have as little as 4 to 6 years of school;
Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that improved education for 
        girls and family planning services for women (including girls) would 
        reduce maternal deaths by 15 to 33 percent;
Whereas the World Fertility Survey indicates that a girl's age at marriage 
        increases with the number of years she has spent in school and that she 
        is more apt to marry at 22 than at 17 with even as little as 7 years of 
        education;
Whereas girls in the United States still receive an unequal education in our 
        Nation's schools, by any measure--test scores, curriculum, or teacher-
        student interaction;
Whereas girls in the United States and abroad are exploited as the victims of 
        sexual abuse and child prostitution; and
Whereas the most recent study of child sexual abuse in the United States shows 
        that, of the cases reported, 23 percent of the victims were boys and 77 
        percent were girls: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That 1994 is designated as the 
``Year of the Girl Child'', and the President of the United States is 
authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon all 
United States missions in foreign countries, all United States 
diplomatic personnel, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to encourage equality for girls in health 
care, education, and all phases of family and community life.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 11, 1994.

            Attest:

                                           DONNALD K. ANDERSON,

                                                                 Clerk.