[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 41 (Friday, March 9, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S2976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S2976]]
   SENATE RESOLUTION 103--COMMENDING THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO, ON THE 
 OCCASION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, FOR THE ENACTMENT OF A LAW TO 
 IMPROVE THE STATUS OF MARRIED WOMEN AND ENSURE THE ACCESS OF MARRIED 
                        WOMEN TO PROPERTY RIGHTS

  Mr. LUGAR (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cochran, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. 
Snowe, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Kerry, Mr. DeMint, Mr. 
Lautenberg, Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Vitter, Mrs. Feinstein, 
and Mr. Coleman) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 103

       Whereas International Women's Day, observed on March 8 each 
     year, has become 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;
       Whereas the Kingdom of Lesotho is a parliamentary 
     constitutional monarchy that has been an independent country 
     since 1966;
       Whereas Lesotho is a low income country with a gross 
     national income per capita of $960 and 50 percent of the 
     population lives below the poverty line;
       Whereas, in Lesotho, the HIV prevalence is estimated at 23 
     percent for the total adult population and 56 percent for 
     pregnant women between the ages of 25 and 29, and the current 
     average life expectancy at birth is estimated to be 34.4 
     years;
       Whereas the Kingdom of Lesotho, referred to by some as the 
     ``Kingdom in the Sky'', was a strong public supporter of the 
     end of apartheid in South Africa and the Government of 
     Lesotho granted political asylum to a number of refugees from 
     South Africa during the apartheid era;
       Whereas the Government of Lesotho has demonstrated a strong 
     commitment to ruling justly, investing in people, ensuring 
     economic freedom, and controlling corruption;
       Whereas the Government of Lesotho has been named eligible 
     by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for a Compact 
     of financial assistance that, as currently proposed, would 
     strongly focus on improving and safeguarding the health of 
     the people of Lesotho, in addition to supporting projects for 
     sustainable water resource management and private sector 
     development;
       Whereas historically a married woman in Lesotho was 
     considered a legal minor during the lifetime of her husband, 
     was severely restricted in economic activities, was unable to 
     enter into legally binding contracts without her husband's 
     consent, and had no standing in civil court;
       Whereas legislation elevating the legal status of married 
     women and providing property and inheritance rights to women 
     in Lesotho was introduced as early as 1992;
       Whereas for years women's groups, nongovernmental 
     organizations, the Federation of Women Lawyers, officials of 
     the Government of Lesotho, and others in Lesotho have pushed 
     for passage of legislation strengthening rights of married 
     women;
       Whereas in a letter to the Government of Lesotho in 
     September 2006, the chief executive officer of the MCC stated 
     that gender inequality is a constraint on economic growth and 
     poverty reduction and is related to the high prevalence of 
     HIV/AIDS, and that inattention to issues of gender inequality 
     could undermine the potential impact of the Compact proposed 
     to be entered into between the MCC and the Government of 
     Lesotho;
       Whereas the Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act was 
     passed by the Parliament of Lesotho and enacted into law in 
     November 2006;
       Whereas the MCC has already provided assistance to further 
     full and meaningful implementation of the new law;
       Whereas the MCC has promulgated and is currently 
     implementing a new gender policy to integrate gender into all 
     phases of the development and implementation of the Compact 
     between the MCC and the Government of Lesotho; and
       Whereas the MCC's advocacy of gender equity played a 
     supportive role in the enactment of the Legal Capacity of 
     Married Persons Act in the Kingdom of Lesotho: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) acknowledges the observance of March 8, 2007, as 
     International Women's Day;
       (2) applauds the enactment of the Legal Capacity of Married 
     Persons Act by the Kingdom of Lesotho;
       (3) lauds the Kingdom of Lesotho for demonstrating its 
     commitment to improve gender equity;
       (4) encourages the Kingdom of Lesotho to continue its 
     effort to ensure gender equity; and
       (5) commends the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for 
     developing and implementing policies to advance gender equity 
     in the Kingdom of Lesotho and other countries eligible for 
     financial assistance from the MCC.

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