[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 258 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 258

 Honoring and supporting women in the Middle East and North Africa for 
     their bravery and leadership and calling on the United States 
  Government and the international community to recognize their vital 
 role in democracy movements and promote the rights and empowerment of 
                     women and girls in the region.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2011

Mr. Carnahan (for himself, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Moore, Mr. Crowley, Mr. 
Payne, Mr. Murphy of Connecticut, Mr. McDermott, Ms. Speier, Mr. Lewis 
     of Georgia, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Shuler, Mr. Berman, Ms. Bass of 
    California, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Moran, Mr. Rush, Mr. 
McGovern, and Mr. Garamendi) submitted the following resolution; which 
            was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring and supporting women in the Middle East and North Africa for 
     their bravery and leadership and calling on the United States 
  Government and the international community to recognize their vital 
 role in democracy movements and promote the rights and empowerment of 
                     women and girls in the region.

Whereas in the course of peaceful protests in countries throughout the Middle 
        East and North Africa, women have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with men to 
        advance their rights;
Whereas in late December 2010 and January 2011, Tunisia underwent a political 
        upheaval, dubbed the ``Jasmine Revolution'', resulting in the fleeing of 
        President of Tunisia Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from the country on January 
        14, 2011, and sparking reform movements across the region;
Whereas women in Tunisia have been at the vanguard of social and political 
        change since the 1940s and one of the first voices of the ``Jasmine 
        Revolution'' was the sister of Mohammad Bouazizi, the young man whose 
        death led to many of the peaceful protests in Tunisia;
Whereas, on January 25, 2011, demonstrations began across Egypt with thousands 
        of protesters peacefully calling for a new government, free and fair 
        elections, meaningful constitutional and political reforms, greater 
        economic opportunity, and an end to government corruption;
Whereas women have been at the forefront of every major political movement in 
        modern Egypt and were integral in organizing the most recent democratic 
        movement, utilizing social media and galvanizing support among men and 
        women for peaceful protest;
Whereas, despite the threat of potential violence, abuse, and harassment, women 
        were among the crowd that came out to protest and according to press 
        accounts, have been credited with spreading the movement to a wider base 
        and helping stave off violence and extremism;
Whereas hundreds of women took part in a rally in Cairo on March 8, 2011, the 
        100th Anniversary of International Women's Day, to remind women in Egypt 
        that they must have a voice in their nation's future;
Whereas, on February 25, 2011, the United Nations Security Council and the 
        international community condemned the violence and use of force against 
        civilians in Libya;
Whereas according to press reports, in Libya, women have played an integral role 
        courageously participating in demonstrations and have been working 
        behind the scenes making a profound difference to promote reform and 
        keep the momentum of the uprising alive, listening to worried fathers 
        whose sons are fighting on the frontlines, keeping up with the day-to-
        day clashes and casualty numbers, and holding meetings about health and 
        education issues;
Whereas in the face of brutal crackdown, women in Syria have also turned out 
        passionately in protest, even sometimes without men, calling for 
        freedom, equality, and political change;
Whereas according to press reports, women are among the leaders of 
        demonstrations calling for reform in both Bahrain and Yemen;
Whereas women's groups in countries such as Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran 
        have attempted to address oppressive legal, rule of law, and other 
        practices inhibiting their rights;
Whereas women around the world face daunting obstacles;
Whereas women are disproportionately impacted by extreme poverty, comprising 70 
        percent of the world's poor, they occupy less than an average of 19 
        percent of seats in parliaments worldwide, and they are vastly more 
        vulnerable in times of war, natural disaster, and other crises;
Whereas broadly, barriers to women's advancement include access to health care, 
        education, and economic opportunities, lack of legal rights and judicial 
        process, and targets of trafficking and sexual and gender-based 
        violence;
Whereas while these challenges are significant, women are paradoxically the most 
        promising and untapped agents of change;
Whereas the world cannot achieve lasting peace, prosperity, and security if half 
        of the population does not have a voice at all levels of decisionmaking, 
        from grassroots civil society to national government and international 
        institutions;
Whereas women's leadership in peace processes positively correlates with 
        sustainability of peace agreements, as numerous case studies 
        demonstrate, women's inclusion enhances the credibility and transparency 
        of peace processes and ensures a broader range of security-related 
        issues, such as the return of internally displaced persons;
Whereas in post-conflict settings women leaders are resources for reconstruction 
        and stabilization;
Whereas in states transitioning to democracy, women are key counterweights to 
        ideological extremism and partners in establishing good governance;
Whereas the majority of women leaders active in preventing and ending conflict 
        or promoting democracy work within civil society, and as such, civil 
        society institutions should be consulted as a key stakeholder as states 
        transition from conflict to stability or authoritarianism to democracy;
Whereas women of diverse backgrounds have marched in streets of countries from 
        Tunisia to Iran in demand of governmental reforms for greater freedom 
        and respect for human rights; and
Whereas women across the Middle East and North Africa have shown the world the 
        pivotal role of women in civil society as change agents and beacons of 
        hope and justice, as they courageously aspire for freedom, democracy, 
        and rule of law: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the women in the Middle East and North Africa 
        who have worked to ensure that women are guaranteed equality 
        and basic human rights;
            (2) recognizes that women's empowerment, specifically their 
        inclusion in all decisionmaking structures, is inextricably 
        linked to the potential of nations to generate economic growth, 
        security for all its citizens, and sustainable democracy;
            (3) acknowledges that women in the Middle East and North 
        Africa are demanding to be included in revolutionary movements 
        that will fundamentally affect their lives, families, and 
        communities;
            (4) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the 
        universal rights of freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, 
        freedom of association, and supports the calls for 
        representative and responsive democratic governments that 
        respect these rights;
            (5) condemns any efforts to provoke or instigate violence 
        against women, and calls upon all parties to refrain from all 
        violent and criminal acts;
            (6) underscores the vital importance of women's rights and 
        political participation as leaders in the Middle East and North 
        Africa consider constitutional reforms and shape new 
        governments; and
            (7) encourages the President to--
                    (A) reaffirm his commitment to pursue policies to 
                protect fundamental human rights and civil liberties, 
                particularly those of women and girls; and
                    (B) in coordination with the international 
                community, ensure that the rights and empowerment of 
                women and girls are a critical component of the 
                Administration's diplomatic, development, and democracy 
                promotion strategies, especially as calls for political 
                change sweep the Middle East and North Africa region.
                                 <all>