[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1901-S1902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

 SENATE RESOLUTION 392--DESIGNATING MARCH 8, 2006, AS ``INTERNATIONAL 
                             WOMEN'S DAY''

  Mr. LUGAR submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 392

       Whereas there continues to be discrimination against women 
     and women are still denied full political and economic 
     equality;
       Whereas discrimination is often the basis for violating the 
     basic human rights of women;
       Whereas, worldwide, the lives and health of women and girls 
     are endangered by violence that is directed at women and 
     girls simply because they are female;
       Whereas women bear a disproportionate burden of the poverty 
     in the world and constitute an estimated 75 percent of the 
     world's poor;
       Whereas, of the estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people 
     trafficked across international borders each year for forced 
     labor, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation, 80 
     percent of the victims are women and girls;
       Whereas violence against women is one of the most 
     widespread violations of human rights and it is estimated 
     that 1 in 3 women will suffer some form of violence;
       Whereas the majority of the estimated 121,000,000 children 
     in the world who are denied a primary education are girls;
       Whereas two-thirds of the estimated 875,000,000 illiterate 
     adults in the world are women;
       Whereas, worldwide, women now account for half of all HIV 
     and AIDS cases, and in sub-Saharan Africa, young girls ages 
     15 to 24 are 3 times more likely to be infected with HIV than 
     young men;
       Whereas gender inequality and sexual violence are 
     significant factors causing the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS 
     among women and girls;
       Whereas HIV/AIDS is having a devastating effect on women in 
     the United States, and it is the leading cause of death among 
     African American women ages 25 to 34;
       Whereas two-thirds of the estimated 19,200,000 refugees in 
     the world are women and children;
       Whereas, in armed conflict, women are targets of rape when 
     it is used as a tactic of war to humiliate the enemy and 
     terrorize the population;
       Whereas it is estimated that 515,000 women die every year 
     as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, and more than 99 
     percent of these deaths occur in the developing world;
       Whereas countries should take steps to ensure the full 
     participation and representation of women in political 
     processes, conflict prevention, and peacekeeping efforts;
       Whereas, over the last century, March 8 has become known as 
     ``International Women's Day'', a day on which people come 
     together to recognize the accomplishments of women and to 
     reaffirm their commitment to continue the struggle for 
     equality, justice, and peace; and
       Whereas the people of the United States should be 
     encouraged to participate in International Women's Day: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates March 8, 2006, as ``International Women's 
     Day'';
       (2) reaffirms its commitment to--
       (A) end discrimination and increase the participation of 
     women in decision-making positions in government and in the 
     private sector;
       (B) end and prevent violence against women;
       (C) pursue policies that guarantee the basic rights of 
     women both in the United States and around the world;
       (D) improve access to quality health care for women;
       (E) protect the human rights of women and girls during and 
     after conflict and to support the integration of gender 
     perspectives in peacekeeping missions and post conflict 
     processes; and
       (F) end the trafficking of women and girls; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
     activities.

  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution declaring 
today International Women's Day 2006.
  International Women's Day is a day on which we celebrate the progress 
of women and rededicate ourselves to overcoming the inequities that 
they face around the globe. Almost one hundred years ago, when the 
first International Women's Day was celebrated, women in this country 
and in Europe were fighting for the right to vote and to participate 
fully in the political process.
  Today, nearly one hundred years later, we can celebrate the fact 
that, in the United States and Europe, many of these barriers have been 
broken down, and that women now not only vote, but participate in our 
government at its highest levels. In the past year, we have seen 
historic elections in Afghanistan and Iraq, where women were voters and 
candidates. In Kuwait, women are now able to vote and run for 
parliament. Voters in Liberia have elected the first female head of 
state in Africa, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and Chile is just days away 
from the inauguration of Michele Bachelet, the country's first female 
president.
  Despite these accomplishments, in many places around the world, women 
are still fighting for their basic rights. Often, especially in 
developing countries, women and girls lack full political, academic, 
and economic equality. Two-thirds of the estimated 875 million 
illiterate adults in the world are women. Girls frequently continue to 
be denied access to primary education, and constitute the majority of 
the estimated 121 million children around the globe who do not attend 
school.
  The lives and health of women and girls continue to be particularly 
vulnerable to violence. Women are trafficked across international 
borders for forced labor, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation. 
In armed conflict situations and other humanitarian emergencies, women 
and children risk a range of abuses including sexual exploitation, 
trafficking and gender-based violence.
  The HIV/AIDS crisis is particularly devastating to women and girls. 
Women now account for one-half of all

[[Page S1902]]

HIV and AIDS cases, and in sub-Saharan Africa, young girls aged 15 
through 24 are three times more likely to be infected with HIV than 
young men. Not only are women and girls more vulnerable to infection, 
they are also shouldering much of the burden of caring for sick and 
dying relatives and friends. In addition, in the vast majority of 
cases, they are the caretakers of the estimated 14 million children who 
have been orphaned by this pandemic. Often, widows and orphans have 
difficulties asserting their inheritance rights, even when those rights 
are spelled out in law. This often leaves the most vulnerable women and 
children impoverished and homeless.
  The inequality that is devastating the lives of women around the 
world requires our commitment to ending it. Last year, I co-sponsored 
with Senator Biden the Protection of Vulnerable Populations During 
Humanitarian Emergencies Act of 2005, which the Committee on Foreign 
Relations supported as an amendment to our Foreign Affairs 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007. Our bill seeks to 
ensure that U.S. foreign assistance programs are a force for protecting 
women, children, and other vulnerable populations in the wake of 
military conflict and natural disasters.
  In addition, last year the President signed into law the Orphans and 
Vulnerable Children Act, which I authored and introduced in 2004. This 
law requires the Administration to develop a comprehensive strategy to 
assist the millions of orphans left behind by the AIDS pandemic. The 
strategy must include programs to remove barriers to education, such as 
school fees, that keep orphans, and especially girls, out of the 
classroom. The law also requires the Administration to support programs 
that protect the inheritance rights of orphans and widows with 
children, and to support programs that assist village-based 
organizations, the main infrastructure for the care of orphans and the 
millions of women taking care of them.
  International Women's Day is a day for each of us to reflect upon the 
remarkable progress that women around the world have made, and to 
remember that much remains to be done. I am hopeful that Senators will 
join me in recognizing this important day.

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