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
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.