[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1902-S1903]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 393--DESIGNATING MARCH 8, 2006, AS ``INTERNATIONAL 
                             WOMEN'S DAY''

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

                              S. Res. 393

       Whereas all over the world women are contributing to the 
     growth of economies, participating in the fields of diplomacy 
     and politics, and improving the quality of the lives of their 
     families, communities, and nations;
       Whereas discrimination continues to deny women full 
     political and economic equality and is often the basis for 
     violations of basic human rights against women;
       Whereas the health and life of women and girls worldwide 
     continues to be endangered by violence that is directed at 
     them simply because they are women;
       Whereas worldwide violence against women includes rape, 
     genital mutilation, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating 
     violence, honor killings, human trafficking, dowry-related 
     violence, female infanticide, sex selection abortion, forced 
     pregnancy, forced sterilization, and forced abortion;
       Whereas at least 1 in 3 females worldwide has been beaten 
     or sexually abused in her lifetime;
       Whereas 1 in 4 women in the United States has been raped or 
     physically assaulted by an intimate partner at some point in 
     her life;
       Whereas 20 percent to 50 percent of women worldwide 
     experience some degree of domestic violence during marriage;
       Whereas, on average, 3 women are murdered by their husbands 
     or boyfriends in the United States every day;
       Whereas it is estimated that 1 in 5 adolescent girls in the 
     United States becomes a victim of physical or sexual abuse, 
     or both, in a dating relationship;
       Whereas an estimated 135,000,000 women and girls of the 
     world have undergone genital mutilation, and 2,000,000 girls 
     are at risk of mutilation each year;
       Whereas worldwide, women account for \1/2\ of all cases of 
     the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune 
     deficiency syndrome (referred to in this preamble as ``HIV/
     AIDS'');
       Whereas young women in Africa are 3 times more likely to 
     contract HIV/AIDS than men;
       Whereas worldwide sexual violence, including marital rape, 
     has been cited as a major cause of the rapid spread of HIV/
     AIDS among women;
       Whereas between 75 percent and 80 percent of the 27,000,000 
     refugees and internally displaced persons of the world are 
     women and children;
       Whereas illegal trafficking for forced labor, domestic 
     servitude, or sexual exploitation victimizes 2,000,000 to 
     4,000,000 women and girls throughout the world each year;
       Whereas \2/3\ of the nearly 1,000,000,000 illiterate 
     individuals of the world are women;
       Whereas \2/3\ of children worldwide who are denied primary 
     education are girls;
       Whereas throughout the world, girls are less likely to 
     complete school than boys;
       Whereas that educational failure has real consequences for 
     the global economy and the security of the United States, and 
     especially for the millions of girls with limitless potential 
     who continue to lose the chance to discover their worth and 
     importance as global citizens;
       Whereas girls who are educated are more likely to enjoy 
     healthy and stable families, lower mortality rates, higher 
     nutrition levels, delayed sexual activity, less chance of 
     contracting HIV/AIDS, and less chance of having unwanted 
     pregnancies;
       Whereas it is estimated that women and girls make up more 
     than 70 percent of the poorest people in the world;
       Whereas in most nations, women work approximately twice the 
     amount of unpaid time that men do;
       Whereas women work \2/3\ of the working hours of the world, 
     and produce \1/2\ of the food in the world, yet earn only 10 
     percent of the income in the world, and own less than 1 
     percent of the property in the world;
       Whereas rural women produce more than 55 percent of all 
     food grown in developing countries;
       Whereas women worldwide still earn less, own less property, 
     and have less access to education, employment, and health 
     care than do men;
       Whereas there are 82,500,000 mothers of all ages in the 
     United States;
       Whereas approximately 3 in 10 United States households are 
     maintained by women with no husband present;
       Whereas women comprise almost 15 percent of the active 
     duty, reserve, and guard units of the Armed Forces;
       Whereas it is not enough to say women deserve a voice in 
     politics;
       Whereas nations should take steps to ensure the full 
     participation and representation of women in their 
     conferences and committees, plenaries, and parliaments;
       Whereas social investment, particularly investments in 
     women and girls, should be an integral part of foreign 
     policy;
       Whereas the dedication and success of those working all 
     over the world to end violence against women and girls and 
     fighting for equality should be recognized;
       Whereas special recognition is owed to 10 women fighting to 
     make a difference in their communities and around the globe, 
     including the following: Brigadier General Sheila R. Baxter, 
     Commander, Madigan Army Medical Center, Western Regional 
     Medical Command; Sheryl Cates, Executive Director of the 
     National Domestic Violence Hotline and the Texas Council on 
     Family Violence; Lora Jo Foo, Civil rights, labor activist, 
     and Managing Attorney at the Asian Law Caucus; Salma Hayek, 
     Actress and Domestic Violence Advocate; Asma Jehangir, 
     Pakistani human rights activist, author, and lawyer; Liz 
     Lerman, Founder and leader of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange; 
     Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize-winning environmentalist 
     and founder of the Green Belt Movement; Kavita N. Ramdas, 
     President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Women's Fund; 
     Bernice Johnson Reagon, singer, scholar, activist, and 
     founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock; and Ellen Johnson 
     Sirleaf, newly-elected President of Liberia;
       Whereas March 8 became known as ``International Women's 
     Day'' during the last century, and is a day on which people, 
     often divided by ethnicity, language, culture, and income, 
     come together to celebrate a common struggle for equality, 
     justice, and peace for women; 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 the commitment of the Senate to--
       (A) improve access to quality health care;
       (B) end and prevent violence against women, including the 
     trafficking of women and girls worldwide, and ensure that the 
     criminals who engage in those activities are brought to 
     justice;
       (C) end discrimination and increase participation of women 
     in decision-making positions in the government and private 
     sectors;
       (D) extend full economic opportunities to women, including 
     access to microfinance and microenterprise; and
       (E) strengthen the role of women as agents of peace, 
     because women are among the best emissaries when it comes to 
     easing religious, racial, and ethnic tensions, crossing 
     cultural divides, and reducing violence in areas of war and 
     conflict; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     ``International Women's Day'' with appropriate programs and 
     activities.

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, today I am submitting a resolution honoring 
10

[[Page S1903]]

extraordinary women in celebration of International Women's Day.
  There is no doubt that women have made tremendous strides towards 
equality and justice in the last century. International Women's Day 
provides an important moment to acknowledge the role that women have 
played in pioneering change and paving the way for millions of women 
and girls to access equal education, employment and opportunity.
  The resolution I submit highlights the achievements of women from all 
over the world who have made strides as stateswomen, activists and 
advocates.
  They are women who have overcome discrimination, abuse and political 
oppression to make a difference in the communities in which they live. 
Women like Kavita Ramdas, the President and Chief Executive Officer of 
the Global Women's Fund, the largest foundation in the world that 
exclusively centers on advocating women's rights. Her work has helped 
to improve women's economic independence and increased girls' access to 
education.
  Salma Hayek plays a leading role in helping battered women in the 
United States and her native country, Mexico. Serving as chief 
spokeswoman for the Avon Foundations ``Speak Out Against Domestic 
Violence'' campaign, she continues to stay committed to helping educate 
and empower women to bring an end to this type of violence. She has 
donated her time and money to overcoming the horrifying statistic that 
one in three women worldwide has been raped, sexually abused or beaten 
in their lifetime, inspiring others to help spread awareness concerning 
domestic violence.
  As Executive Director of the Texas Council on Family Violence and 
National Domestic Violence Hotline, Sheryl Cates is leading our country 
in empowering women by offering information and referrals to victims of 
domestic violence. Since the Hotline started 10 years ago, it has taken 
over 1.6 million calls in 140 languages and provide support for women 
across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 
Domestic violence is often unseen and unreported because the victims 
are often too scared to seek help. The Hotline provides a place for 
victims to turn for assistance, providing individualized support to 
ensure these women that they are not alone.
  At age 11, Lora Jo Foo was a garment worker in San Francisco, 
California. She is now an accomplished civil rights and labor activist. 
Having dedicated her life to improving sweatshop conditions, she 
represents and advocates for low wage industry workers throughout the 
world. Many garment industry workers are denied public benefits because 
they do not speak English and government agencies fail to provide them 
with interpreters or translated documents. A large number of Asian 
women are pushed into dead-end workfare jobs where they learn no skills 
and are denied the option of English-language training. The result has 
been an increase in hunger and illness among Asian immigrant women and 
their families. Lora Jo Foo represents those women, giving them a voice 
to advocate for change.
  Women like these are why we celebrate International Women's Day, 
commemorating their selfless achievements in advocating for equal 
rights and educating others. This past year, the global community has 
taken significant strides forward towards gender equality and the 
pursuit of human rights. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was 
elected as Prime Minister of Liberia, becoming the first elected female 
head of state in Africa. Germany elected its first female Chancellor, 
Angela Merkel. Chancellor Merkel overcame her childhood in North Berlin 
under communism and triumphed in her role as a leader. This past 
spring, Kuwait transformed the very structure of their country by 
amending their electoral laws and allowing women both to vote and to 
run in parliamentary elections. In Afghanistan, women are gaining 
equality in representation, overcoming years of severe gender 
discrimination and gender-based violence. There are now 68 female 
parliamentarians in the lower house of parliament, making up 27 percent 
of the representatives; women make up 15 percent of the representatives 
in the upper house.
  Despite the achievements in women's rights during the past year, 
there is still more to be done, both domestically and internationally. 
In our own country, the wage gap between genders still exists. Although 
it has slightly decreased, women make an average of 76.5 percent as 
much as men do for identical jobs. Internationally, young women are 
three times more likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS than men because 
they know less about how to prevent infection and how to protect 
themselves from violence and discrimination. And while the laws of some 
countries in the Middle East have been changed to allow women the right 
to vote and hold office, much remains to be done to ensure they have 
equal access and opportunity to freely express their political will.
  We value the progress that has been made in ending discrimination and 
advocating gender equality. On International Women's Day, we thank all 
those who have contributed to our successes. I urge my colleagues to 
support the immediate passage of the resolution.

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