[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 28, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H8877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BRINGING AWARENESS TO THE IMPORTANT ISSUE OF LAND MINES
(Mrs. MALONEY of New York asked and was given permission to address
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, as cochair of the Women's
Caucus, along with the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly), together
we are hosting a bipartisan meeting with Queen Noor of Jordan, who is
making her first official visit to Capitol Hill today, to bring
awareness to the devastation caused by land mines around the globe.
More than 60 countries are infested with land mines, 60 countries
that have the potential of killing or maiming innocent civilians,
claiming 26,000 new victims every year. Land mines cannot tell the
difference between the footfall of a soldier or a child at play. Every
20 minutes someone steps on a land mine, killing or leaving them
maimed. Fewer than 10 percent of the survivors have access to proper
medical treatment.
I urge my colleagues to support the efforts of Queen Noor and the
Land Mine Survivors Network to bring awareness to this important issue
and to provide a voice to those survivors who do not have the
opportunity or ability to speak for themselves.
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