[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 683 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 683

  Supporting and protecting the right of women working in developing 
    countries to safe workplaces, free from gender-based violence, 
                      reprisals, and intimidation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 14, 2016

  Ms. Speier (for herself and Ms. Schakowsky) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Supporting and protecting the right of women working in developing 
    countries to safe workplaces, free from gender-based violence, 
                      reprisals, and intimidation.

Whereas women in developing countries who have joined the industrial workforce 
        have continued to suffer or become increasingly vulnerable to economic 
        violence such as forced overtime, wage theft, abusive short-term 
        contracts, discrimination, sexual harassment, and violence at work;
Whereas women typically make up the majority of the workforce in industries 
        where workers' rights have been restricted such as export manufacturing 
        like the global apparel industry and other export sectors such as cut 
        flowers and fresh produce;
Whereas sexual violence is often used by male managers as a means of 
        intimidation and punishment when female workers make a mistake, fail to 
        meet production targets, ask for leave or arrive late to work;
Whereas women are particularly vulnerable to violence and intimidation at work, 
        due to the frequently disproportionate number of male managers, lack of 
        policing and reporting of sexual harassment, and common cultural norms 
        that assert male dominance and place disproportionate pressure on women 
        to maintain their income and support their children and elders;
Whereas a survey of female garment industry workers in Bangladesh revealed that 
        nearly one-third of those surveyed had been the recipient of unwelcome 
        sexual overtures, inappropriate touching, or threats of being forced to 
        undress and nearly half reported being beaten or struck in the face by 
        their supervisors;
Whereas some of the most deadly accidents in industrial history have occurred in 
        export-processing industries where female workers predominate, including 
        Ali Enterprises in Pakistan in 2012, the deadliest apparel factory fire 
        in history in which 259 workers' lives were lost, and the Rana Plaza 
        building collapse in 2013, where 1,134 Bangladeshi workers lost their 
        lives and 2,500 more were injured, the majority of whom were women;
Whereas these and other industrial accidents have occurred in facilities that 
        were monitored and certified as safe and decent workplaces by private, 
        voluntary corporate social responsibility initiatives invested in by 
        global brands from the United States and Europe;
Whereas female workers are often knowingly exposed to dangerous and life-
        threatening machinery and toxic substances that are no longer used in 
        developed nations due to their reproductive and general health effects, 
        without even the simplest of safety measures like gloves or face masks; 
        and
Whereas research shows that workers who are more well-informed about health and 
        safety facilitate safer workplaces, and legal protections that allow 
        workers' elected union representatives to raise safety and other 
        concerns without fear of reprisal are essential for worker safety: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the United States Government should--
            (1) support policies that create safe and decent jobs in 
        developing countries which is critical to ensuring peaceful and 
        sustainable economic growth and development in a globalized 
        world;
            (2) support policies that reduce gender-based violence and 
        other forms of discrimination at work, improving the ability of 
        women workers to speak out in defense of their rights without 
        fear of reprisals;
            (3) encourage the development of an International Labour 
        Conference Convention to address gender-based violence at work;
            (4) promote labor rights in trade agreements and enforce 
        the right of women and other workers to join unions in defense 
        of their own rights and safety;
            (5) utilize diplomatic means and international aid to 
        support measures to end violence against women in the workplace 
        and empower women and other workers to participate fully in 
        their economies and to protect their safety; and
            (6) encourage United States companies with international 
        supply chains and United States procurement agencies to 
        increase transparency and accountability in order to ensure 
        that their products are produced in workplaces that work 
        aggressively to end gender-based workplace violence and respect 
        the rights of women workers.
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