[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 21 (Thursday, March 5, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S1478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, this weekend, on Sunday, March 8, 
1998, the world community will celebrate International Women's Day. 
This day is a time to mark the achievements and progress of women 
around the world, but also to consider the long road we still have to 
travel to reach equality and respect for the basic human rights for all 
women.
  Many women and men will mark this day by reflecting on how far women 
have come in many societies and by continuing to work toward true 
equality for women all across the globe. The United States has a lot to 
be proud of in this regard. Women make significant contributions at 
every level of our society, including in this distinguished body.
  Unfortunately, a large number of women will not even know of this 
day, which is meant to be a celebration of their achievements and 
accomplishments. On International Women's Day, many women will continue 
to be subjugated by their husbands or their governments, and many will 
be unaware of the basic human rights to which they are entitled as 
members of the world community. In cities and towns all over the 
world--including in the United States--International Women's Day will 
be just another day in the long struggle for women to achieve equal pay 
for equal work, full political and religious rights, access to adequate 
health care and child care, and the right to control their own 
destinies. It is troubling that, while women make up approximately 51 
percent of the world's population, many of them have little or no civil 
or political rights.
  As Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on African Affairs of the 
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I have had no opportunity to 
learn much about the status of women on that continent. The conditions 
into which women are born in Africa vary from country to country and 
impact greatly on their chances for a successful, happy life. According 
to the United Nations, baby girls born between 1995 and 2000 in the 
West African country of Sierra Leone can expect to live approximately 
39 years, the lowest for women born on that continent. In this small, 
war-torn nation, the infant mortality rate is 169 per 1,000 live 
births, the highest in Africa.
  By contrast, the United Nations says, baby girls born in the United 
States during the same period, 1995-2000, can expect to live 80 years, 
more than twice as long as baby girls born in Sierra Leone. The infant 
mortality rate in this country is seven per 1,000 live births--162 less 
than that of Sierra Leone. The vast majority of baby girls born in the 
United States have a bright future ahead of them; their counterparts in 
Sierra Leone face instability and the constant threat of war. A baby 
girl born today in Wisconsin will share approximately 39 of her 
birthdays with a baby girl born today in Sierra Leone--sadly, it is 
unlikely that the baby girl in Sierra Leone will reach her 40th 
birthday.
  In another war-torn African nation, Angola, the conditions are not 
much better. The thousands of unmarked landmines that riddle that 
country have contributed to the low 48-year life expectancy of Angolan 
women. According to the United Nations, women make up 46 percent of the 
nation's workforce, and 73 percent of women 15 and over contribute to 
the nation's economy. These women are indicative of those all over the 
African continent--and indeed all over the world. They literally carry 
the economy on their backs by producing handmade products and carrying 
them to markets, or single-handedly transporting bundles of wood or 
vessels of water for their families.
  But, fortunately, not all of the women in Africa or the rest of the 
world experience such bleak circumstances. For example, women around 
the world have made great strides in business with the help of 
microcredit programs. These programs extend loans, often less than 
$100, to women who need assistance starting or expanding a small 
business. The benefits of these loans, which are almost always repaid, 
far exceed their monetary worth. Domestic and international microcredit 
programs have enabled thousands of women to find the confidence 
necessary to become self-sufficient and to support their families 
without government assistance--often for the first time.
  In a 1997 speech commemorating International Women's Day, Secretary 
of State Madeleine K. Albright said, ``Advancing the status of women is 
not only a moral imperative; it is being actively integrated into the 
foreign policy of the United States. It is our mission. It is the right 
thing to do, and, frankly, it is the smart thing to do.'' I 
wholeheartedly agree with this statement. I am pleased that the United 
States is taking an active role in the worldwide promotion of the 
rights of women. These efforts include working with the United Nations 
High Commissioner for Refugees to establish guidelines to protect 
female refugees from sexual and physical assault and exploitation. The 
United States is also working to ensure that the War Crimes Tribunals 
for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia will vigorously prosecute rape as 
a war crime. Too often, women have been the forgotten casualties of 
war. I am pleased that the United States government is working to 
ensure that female refugees are protected and that those who would use 
rape as a tactic of war are punished.
  So, Mr. President, as the world prepares to celebrate International 
Women's Day, we should honor the achievements of women around the 
world, but we should not forget those who have little to 
celebrate.

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