[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 27 (Friday, March 11, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

                                 ______


                        HON. JOHN EDWARD PORTER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 1994

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, every year, on March 8, women in countries 
on all continents commemorate International Women's Day. The observance 
of this occasion begin in the early part of this century as a way to 
honor women and their struggle for equality and voting rights. Over the 
years, International Women's Day has been recognized by the United 
Nations as a day during which to celebrate the unique contribution 
which women make to the betterment of humankind.
  On March 8th of this year, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, the 
Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues and the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, in cooperation with the United Nations Information Centre, 
sponsored a briefing to focus on the status of human rights for women. 
We had three excellent speakers at this briefing whom I would like to 
acknowledge for the work they do to advance the cause of women's human 
rights: Melinda Kimble, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Issues in 
the Bureau for International Organizations at the Department of State; 
Dorothy Q. Thomas director of the Women's Rights Project for Human 
Rights Watch' and Kathryn Cameron Porter, director of Gender and Social 
Policy at Conservation International.
  I would also like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Mrs. 
Flavia Biancheri, who is the wife of the Italian Ambassador. Mrs. 
Biancheri facilitated the delivery of Mimosas, a flower which is grown 
on trees in Italy, to our briefing. Traditionally, women in Italy have 
worn mimosas on International Women's Day. We are deeply grateful to 
Mrs. Biancheri for helping to share this tradition with us.
  During this past year, the issue of human rights for women has 
achieved greater recognition. Following the successful lobbying efforts 
of women's groups at the World Conference on Human Rights held in June 
of last year, the human rights agenda of the international community 
now prominently features the rights of women. Hopefully, women will 
achieve even greater recognition of their rights at the upcoming 
International Conference on Women which will be held in Beijing next 
year.
  Despite the advancement made by women in breaking down barriers at 
the international level, many societies continue to regard women as 
inferior and unworthy of equal status with men. Often, these long-
ingrained societal attitudes lead governments to conclude that violence 
acts committed against women, such as rape, dowry killings and other 
forms of assault, are not human right abuses. Clearly, we must work to 
eradicate the myth that human rights abuses committed against women are 
marginal or are matters of privacy at home.
  The Congressional Human Rights Caucus, which I cochair along with my 
colleague, Tom Lantos, will continue to focus on the human rights 
issues facing women in developed and developing countries alike. We 
hope that on every International Women's Day in the future, we can 
celebrate the achievements of women in securing full recognition of 
their rights.

                          ____________________