[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 344 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 344

           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2002

Ms. Schakowsky (for herself, Mrs. Biggert, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. 
Lantos, Ms. Pelosi, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Conyers, Ms. Waters, Ms. Baldwin, 
Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Crowley, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Levin, Mr. Filner, 
   Ms. Kilpatrick, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Cummings, Ms. 
   McCollum, Mr. Luther, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Langevin, Ms. McKinney, Mr. 
  Blagojevich, Ms. Norton, Ms. Solis, Ms. Berkley, Ms. Sanchez, Mrs. 
   Maloney of New York, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Brown of Florida, Ms. 
Carson of Indiana, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mrs. Davis of California, 
   and Ms. Watson of California) submitted the following concurrent 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
  Relations, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.

Whereas women worldwide are contributing to the growth of economies, 
        participating in the world of diplomacy and politics, and improving the 
        quality of the lives of their families, communities, and nations;
Whereas pervasive discrimination continues to deny women full political and 
        economic equality and is often the basis for violations of women's basic 
        human rights;
Whereas the lives and health of women and girls continues to be endangered by 
        violence which is directed at them simply because they are women or 
        girls;
Whereas violence against women and girls includes rape, genital mutilation, 
        sexual assault, domestic violence, honor killings, sexual trafficking, 
        dowry-related violence, female infanticide, sex-selection abortion, 
        forced sterilization, and forced abortion;
Whereas an analysis by the World Bank indicates that between 25 percent and 50 
        percent of all women have been battered by an intimate partner;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, 
        worldwide at least 1 out of every 3 women and girls has been beaten or 
        sexually abused in her lifetime;
Whereas, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 1 
        out of every 6 women and girls in the United States has been beaten or 
        sexually abused in her lifetime;
Whereas, according to the Department of Justice, a woman is battered, usually by 
        an intimate partner, every 15 seconds in the United States;
Whereas, according to the Department of Justice, a woman is raped every 90 
        seconds in the United States;
Whereas, according to the American Medical Association, approximately 1 out of 
        every 5 adolescent girls in the United States has been physically or 
        sexually abused by a person who the girl was dating;
Whereas, according to the United States Agency for International Development, 
        only 17 countries consider marital rape to be a criminal offense;
Whereas worldwide women account for almost half of all cases of HIV/AIDS;
Whereas in countries with a high HIV prevalence, young women are at a higher 
        risk of contracting HIV than young men;
Whereas sexual violence, including marital rape, has been denounced as a major 
        cause of the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS among women;
Whereas, according to the United States Agency for International Development, 
        two-thirds of the 876,000,000 illiterate individuals worldwide are 
        women;
Whereas, according to the United States Agency for International Development, 
        two-thirds of the 125,000,000 school-aged children who are not attending 
        school worldwide are girls;
Whereas girls are less likely than boys to complete school;
Whereas, according to the United States Development Program, women and children 
        account for 70 percent of the 1,300,000,000 poorest people;
Whereas, according to the report of the General Accounting Office ``Women and 
        Management'', in the United States between 1995 and 2000 female managers 
        earned less than their male counterparts in the 10 industries that 
        employ the vast majority of all female employees;
Whereas, according to the World Bank, worldwide women remain vastly 
        underrepresented in national and local assemblies, accounting on average 
        for less than 10 percent of the seats in parliament, except for East 
        Asia where the figure is approximately 18 to 19 percent, and in no 
        developing region do women hold more than 8 percent of the ministerial 
        positions;
Whereas, according to the Congressional Research Service and the Department of 
        State, illegal trafficking in women and children for forced labor, 
        domestic servitude, or sexual exploitation involves between 1,000,000 
        and 2,000,000 women and children each year, of whom 50,000 are 
        transported into the United States;
Whereas women still earn less, own less property, and have less access to 
        education, employment, and health care than do men;
Whereas March 8 has become known as International Women's Day and is a day on 
        which women, often divided by ethnicity, language, culture, and income, 
        come together to celebrate a common struggle for equality, justice, and 
        peace;
Whereas the dedication and successes of those who are fighting for gender 
        equality and working to end violence against women and girls should be 
        recognized; and
Whereas the people of the United States should be encouraged to participate in 
        International Women's Day: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) supports the goals of International Women's Day;
            (2) recognizes and honors the women in the United States 
        and in other countries who have fought and continue to struggle 
        for gender equality and women's rights;
            (3) reaffirms its commitment to ending discrimination and 
        violence against women and girls, to ensuring the safety and 
        welfare of women and girls, and to pursuing policies that 
        guarantee the basic rights of women and girls both in the 
        United States and in other countries; and
            (4) encourages the President to--
                    (A) reaffirm his commitment to pursue policies to 
                protect the health and rights of women and girls; and
                    (B) issue a proclamation calling upon the people of 
                the United States to observe International Women's Day 
                with appropriate programs and activities.
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