[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 21 (Monday, February 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H1177-H1178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 CEDAW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, it is time that the U.S. 
ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
against Women, or CEDAW.
  The treaty has been in force since 1981 and has been ratified by 185 
countries; 185 countries cannot be wrong, and they include such 
countries as Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Pakistan. The U.S. 
stands out as the only Western country that has not ratified the treaty 
and, in doing so, keeps company with Iran, Sudan, and Somalia.
  Women continue to be subjected to severe human rights violations 
simply because of their gender. Women in many parts of the world are 
unable to receive a basic education, earn a living, own or inherent 
property, or protect themselves against HIV/AIDS. Violence against 
women continues to be a terrible problem in all corners of the globe.
  In the Mexican cities of Juarez and Chihuahua, over 400 women have 
been killed since 1993. In Guatemala over 2,500 women and girls have 
been murdered since 2001.
  Women are still stoned to death and killed by members of their family 
in the name of honor. In 2002 at least 270 women were murdered in 
``honor killings'' in the Punjab Province of Pakistan alone.
  Domestic violence continues to hurt and kill women at alarming rates. 
In Russia 70 percent of married women have been hurt in one form or 
another of violence from their husbands.
  CEDAW is an important tool in combating discrimination and human 
rights abuses against women around the world. It seeks to ensure that

[[Page H1178]]

women have equal access to education, public health, credit, property 
rights, as well as prevent violence against women. There have been 
numerous positive changes because of the convention, such as the 
implementation of equality legislation, the eradication of harmful 
practices such as sex slavery, and changes in inheritance laws. But 
there is clearly a great deal more to do.
  As one of the most powerful nations in the world, the U.S. must be 
the leader in the fight against these violations of women's human 
rights. Our refusal to ratify the treaty sends the message that CEDAW 
is not important and does not need to be enforced. There is no valid 
reason why the U.S. should not ratify CEDAW.
  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has voted twice to send the 
convention to the full Senate for ratification, first in 1994 and then 
again in 2002; but it has never been voted on by that body.
  The U.S. is already substantially in compliance with the treaty and 
agrees with its fundamental principles of nondiscrimination and 
equality for women. We cannot claim to be a defender of human rights 
without including over half of the world's population.
  Ratifying CEDAW is something the U.S. can do that can make a 
difference in the lives of thousands of women around the globe. So what 
are we waiting for? We should move forward and ratify it.

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