[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 315 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 315

      Designating March 8, 2004, as ``International Women's Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 9, 2004

  Mr. Biden (for himself, Mr. Lugar, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. 
Lautenberg, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Levin, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Graham of South 
   Carolina, Mr. Kohl, Ms. Landrieu, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Bayh, Mrs. 
 Murray, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Crapo, 
Mr. Dayton, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Clinton, and Mr. Feingold) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Designating March 8, 2004, as ``International Women's Day''.

Whereas all over the world women 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 discrimination continues to deny women full political and economic 
        equality and is often the basis for violations of women's basic human 
        rights;
Whereas worldwide, the lives and health of women and girls continue to be 
        endangered by violence that is directed at them simply because of their 
        gender;
Whereas worldwide, violence against women includes rape, genital mutilation, 
        sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, honor killings, 
        sexual trafficking in women, dowry-related violence, female infanticide, 
        sex-selection abortion, forced pregnancy, forced sterilization, and 
        forced abortion;
Whereas the World Health Organization asserts that domestic violence causes more 
        deaths and disability among women between ages 15 and 44 than cancer, 
        malaria, traffic accidents, and war;
Whereas 130,000,000 girls and young women have been subjected to female genital 
        mutilation, and it is estimated that 10,000 girls are at risk of being 
        subjected to this practice in the United States and more than 160,000 
        girls and women in immigrant communities in the United States may have 
        been victims of the traditional practice of female genital mutilation or 
        are at risk of being subjected to it;
Whereas worldwide, at least 1 in 3 women has been beaten or sexually abused in 
        her lifetime;
Whereas 1 in 6 women in the United States has experienced an attempted or 
        completed sexual assault and 1 in 5 women reported she had been raped or 
        physically or sexually assaulted in her lifetime;
Whereas in the United States, a woman is battered, usually by her intimate 
        partner, every 15 seconds;
Whereas over 300,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during 
        their pregnancy;
Whereas more than 3 women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the 
        United States every day;
Whereas nearly 25 percent of American women report being raped or physically 
        assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or date at 
        some time in their lifetime;
Whereas in the United States, battering is the leading cause of injury to women 
        between ages 15 and 44;
Whereas it is estimated that 1 in 5 adolescent girls in the United States 
        becomes a victim of physical or sexual abuse, or both, in a dating 
        relationship;
Whereas worldwide, 20 to 50 percent of women experience some degree of domestic 
        violence during marriage;
Whereas worldwide, women account for \1/2\ of all cases of HIV/AIDS, 
        approximately 42,000,000, and in countries with high HIV prevalence, 
        young women are at a higher risk than young men of contracting HIV;
Whereas worldwide, sexual violence, including marital rape, has been announced 
        as a major cause of the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS among women;
Whereas \2/3\ of the world's nearly 1,000,000,000 illiterate individuals are 
        women;
Whereas worldwide, girls are less likely to complete school than boys;
Whereas \2/3\ of children denied primary education are girls;
Whereas in most countries, women work approximately twice the unpaid time men 
        do;
Whereas about 3 in 10 households are maintained by women with no husband 
        present;
Whereas rural women produce more than 55 percent of all food grown in developing 
        countries;
Whereas women comprise almost 15 percent of the active duty, reserve, and guard 
        units of the United States Armed Forces;
Whereas it is estimated that women and girls make up more than 70 percent of the 
        1,300,000,000 poorest people in the world;
Whereas women work \2/3\ of the world's working hours, and produce \1/2\ of the 
        world's food, yet earn only 1 percent of the world's income, and own 
        less than 1 percent of the world's property;
Whereas worldwide women still earn less, own less property, and have less access 
        to education, employment, and health care than do men;
Whereas between 75 and 80 percent of the world's 27,000,000 refugees are women 
        and children;
Whereas illegal trafficking worldwide 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 to the United States;
Whereas as many as 750,000 women and children have been trafficked into the 
        United States over the last decade;
Whereas March 8 has become known as International Women's Day for the last 
        century, and is a day on which people, often divided by ethnicity, 
        language, culture, and income, come together to celebrate a common 
        struggle for women's equality, justice, and peace;
Whereas the dedication and success of those working all over the world to end 
        violence against women and girls and fighting for equality 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, That the Senate--
            (1) designates March 8, 2004, as International Women's Day;
            (2) reaffirms its commitment to--
                    (A) ending discrimination and violence against 
                women;
                    (B) ensuring the safety and welfare of women; and
                    (C) pursuing policies that guarantee the basic 
                rights of women both in the United States and in the 
                world; and
            (3) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
        calling upon the people of the United States to observe 
        ``International Women's Day'' with appropriate programs and 
        activities.
                                 <all>