[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 166 (Wednesday, December 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H8471-H8475]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTERNATIONAL PROTECTING GIRLS BY PREVENTING CHILD MARRIAGE ACT OF 2010
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 987) to protect girls in developing countries through the
prevention of child marriage, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 987
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``International Protecting
Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Child marriage, also known as ``forced marriage'' or
``early marriage'', is a harmful traditional practice that
deprives girls of their dignity and human rights.
(2) Child marriage as a traditional practice, as well as
through coercion or force, is a violation of article 16 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states,
``Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full
consent of intending spouses''.
(3) According to the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), an estimated 60,000,000 girls in developing
countries now ages 20 through 24 were married under the age
of 18, and if present trends continue more than 100,000,000
more girls in developing countries will be married as
children over the next decade, according to the Population
Council.
(4) Between \1/2\ and \3/4\ of all girls are married before
the age of 18 in Niger, Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Guinea, the
Central African Republic, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, and
Nepal, according to Demographic Health Survey data.
(5) Factors perpetuating child marriage include poverty, a
lack of educational or employment opportunities for girls,
parental concerns to ensure sexual relations within marriage,
the dowry system, and the perceived lack of value of girls.
(6) Child marriage has negative effects on the health of
girls, including significantly increased risk of maternal
death and morbidity, infant mortality and morbidity,
obstetric fistula, and sexually transmitted diseases,
including HIV/AIDS.
(7) According to the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), increasing the age at first birth for a
woman will increase her chances of survival. Currently,
pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause
of death for women 15 to 19 years old in developing
countries.
(8) Most countries with high rates of child marriage have a
legally established minimum age of marriage, yet child
marriage persists due to strong traditional norms and the
failure to enforce existing laws.
(9) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated that
child marriage is ``a clear and unacceptable violation of
human rights'', and that ``the Department of State
categorically denounces all cases of child marriage as child
abuse''.
(10) According to an International Center for Research on
Women analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data, areas
or regions in developing countries in which 40 percent or
more of girls under the age of 18 are married are considered
high-prevalence areas for child marriage.
(11) Investments in girls' schooling, creating safe
community spaces for girls, and programs for skills building
for out-of-school girls are all effective and demonstrated
strategies for preventing child marriage and creating a
pathway to empower girls by addressing conditions of poverty,
low status, and norms that contribute to child marriage.
SEC. 3. CHILD MARRIAGE DEFINED.
In this Act, the term ``child marriage'' means the marriage
of a girl or boy, not yet the minimum age for marriage
stipulated in law in the country in which the girl or boy is
a resident or, where there is no such law, under the age of
18.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) child marriage is a violation of human rights, and the
prevention and elimination of child marriage should be a
foreign policy goal of the United States;
(2) the practice of child marriage undermines United States
investments in foreign assistance to promote education and
skills building for girls, reduce maternal and child
mortality, reduce maternal illness, halt the transmission of
HIV/AIDS, prevent gender-based violence, and reduce poverty;
and
(3) expanding educational opportunities for girls, economic
opportunities for women, and reducing maternal and child
mortality are critical to achieving the Millennium
Development Goals and the global health and development
objectives of the United States, including efforts to prevent
HIV/AIDS.
SEC. 5. STRATEGY TO PREVENT CHILD MARRIAGE IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES.
(a) Assistance Authorized.--
(1) In general.--The President is authorized to provide
assistance, including through multilateral, nongovernmental,
and faith-based organizations, to prevent the incidence of
child marriage in developing countries through the promotion
of educational, health, economic, social, and legal
empowerment of girls and women.
(2) Priority.--In providing assistance authorized under
paragraph (1), the President shall give priority to--
(A) areas or regions in developing countries in which 40
percent or more of girls under the age of 18 are married; and
(B) activities to--
(i) expand and replicate existing community-based programs
that are successful in preventing the incidence of child
marriage;
(ii) establish pilot projects to prevent child marriage;
and
(iii) share evaluations of successful programs, program
designs, experiences, and lessons.
(b) Strategy Required.--
(1) In general.--The President shall establish a multi-year
strategy to prevent child marriage and promote the
empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage in developing
countries, which should address the unique needs,
vulnerabilities, and potential of girls under age 18 in
developing countries.
(2) Consultation.--In establishing the strategy required by
paragraph (1), the President shall consult with Congress,
relevant Federal departments and agencies, multilateral
organizations, and representatives of civil society.
(3) Elements.--The strategy required by paragraph (1)
shall--
(A) focus on areas in developing countries with high
prevalence of child marriage;
(B) encompass diplomatic initiatives between the United
States and governments of developing countries, with
attention to human rights, legal reforms, and the rule of
law;
(C) encompass programmatic initiatives in the areas of
education, health, income generation, changing social norms,
human rights, and democracy building; and
(D) be submitted to Congress not later than one year after
the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) Report.--Not later than three years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President should submit to
Congress a report that includes--
(1) a description of the implementation of the strategy
required by subsection (b);
(2) examples of best practices or programs to prevent child
marriage in developing countries that could be replicated;
and
(3) an assessment, including data disaggregated by age and
sex to the extent possible, of current United States funded
efforts to specifically prevent child marriage in developing
countries.
(d) Coordination.--Assistance authorized under subsection
(a) shall be integrated with existing United States
development programs.
(e) Activities Supported.--Assistance authorized under
subsection (a) may be made available for activities in the
areas of education, health, income generation, agriculture
development, legal rights, democracy building, and human
rights, including--
(1) support for community-based activities that encourage
community members to address beliefs or practices that
promote child marriage and to educate parents, community
leaders, religious leaders, and adolescents of the health
risks associated with child marriage and the benefits for
adolescents, especially girls, of access to education, health
care, livelihood skills, microfinance, and savings programs;
(2) support for activities to educate girls in primary and
secondary school at the appropriate age and keeping them in
age-appropriate grade levels through adolescence;
(3) support for activities to reduce education fees and
enhance safe and supportive conditions in primary and
secondary schools to meet the needs of girls, including--
(A) access to water and suitable hygiene facilities,
including separate lavatories and latrines for girls;
(B) assignment of female teachers;
(C) safe routes to and from school; and
(D) eliminating sexual harassment and other forms of
violence and coercion;
(4) support for activities that allow adolescent girls to
access health care services and proper nutrition, which is
essential to both their school performance and their economic
productivity;
(5) assistance to train adolescent girls and their parents
in financial literacy and access economic opportunities,
including livelihood skills, savings, microfinance, and
small-enterprise development;
(6) support for education, including through community and
faith-based organizations and youth programs, that helps
remove gender stereotypes and the bias against girls used to
justify child marriage, especially efforts targeted at men
and boys, promotes zero tolerance for violence, and promotes
gender equality, which in turn help to increase the perceived
value of girls;
(7) assistance to create peer support and female mentoring
networks and safe social spaces specifically for girls; and
(8) support for local advocacy work to provide legal
literacy programs at the community level to ensure that
governments and
[[Page H8472]]
law enforcement officials are meeting their obligations to
prevent child and forced marriage.
SEC. 6. RESEARCH AND DATA.
It is the sense of Congress that the President and all
relevant agencies should, as part of their ongoing research
and data collection activities--
(1) collect and make available data on the incidence of
child marriage in countries that receive foreign or
development assistance from the United States where the
practice of child marriage is prevalent; and
(2) collect and make available data on the impact of the
incidence of child marriage and the age at marriage on
progress in meeting key development goals.
SEC. 7. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS
PRACTICES.
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended--
(1) in section 116 (22 U.S.C. 2151n), by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
``(g) The report required by subsection (d) shall include,
for each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a
description of the status of the practice of child marriage
in such country. In this subsection, the term `child
marriage' means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the
minimum age for marriage stipulated in law or under the age
of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which such
girl or boy is a resident.''; and
(2) in section 502B (22 U.S.C. 2304), by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
``(i) The report required by subsection (b) shall include,
for each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a
description of the status of the practice of child marriage
in such country. In this subsection, the term `child
marriage' means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the
minimum age for marriage stipulated in law or under the age
of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which such
girl or boy is a resident.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Berman) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 987, the
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010
and yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this
legislation, S. 987, is the corresponding legislation to legislation
introduced by our colleague from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), H.R. 2103.
Child marriage is one of the most harmful practices affecting girls
in the developing world today. Globally, more than 60 million girls
under the age of 18, many only 12 or 13, are married, usually to men
more than twice or three times their age. Between one-half and three-
fourths of all girls are married before the age of 18 in countries such
as Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Should these numbers remain
consistent in the next 10 years, there will be 25,000 new child brides
every day.
Marrying at such a young age comes at a terrible cost for these
girls--girls who, in most developed countries, would otherwise still be
happily playing sports and singing in their school choir. These young
girls are at an increased risk for health problems like HIV/AIDS due to
the sexual history of their older partners. In addition, young girls
are at risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. In fact,
childbirth complications are the leading cause of death for women 15 to
19 years old in developing countries.
Not only are child brides at a higher risk for disease and death
during childbirth, they are frequently victims of domestic abuse.
Premature marriage deprives girls of their dignity and dooms these
girls to a life of poverty and dependence. It is for these reasons, and
many more, that child marriage is categorized as both child abuse and a
violation of human rights.
Poverty and a lack of education are both key contributing factors to
why young women fall victim to child marriages. Girls who live in
impoverished homes are twice as likely to marry under 18, and 60
percent of girls involved in child marriages have no education.
Families struck by poverty cannot afford to keep their daughters in
school and often do not have the resources to provide for their
daughters at all. Marrying off female children is often the only
alternative for struggling families. With an often false promise of a
better life for their daughters, parents marry their girls off at an
all-too-early age.
However, there are undoubtedly better alternatives. This bill before
us seeks to eliminate the harmful practice of child marriage overseas.
It requires an integrated, strategic approach by our government to
reduce the incidence of child marriage by authorizing the President to
provide assistance through multilateral, nongovernmental, and faith-
based organizations to prevent the incidence of child marriage and to
promote the educational, health, economic, social, and legal
empowerment of girls and women. It also requires the President to
establish a multiyear strategy in developing countries and promote the
empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage.
Mr. Speaker, we need to invest in these young girls and provide safe
spaces where they can evolve socially and become self-sufficient.
Empowering young girls through education can help prevent child
marriages and lead to a brighter and healthier future for millions
worldwide.
I want to thank Representatives McCollum and Crenshaw for their
leadership on this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to support the
bill, which will be an invaluable investment in the future of millions
of girls around the world.
Mr. Speaker, I am now pleased to yield 7 minutes to the gentlelady
from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the author, along with Congressman
Crenshaw, of the corresponding House legislation.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, every year in the world's poorest
countries, millions of girls are forced into marriage. Girls as young
as age 8, but often 13, 14, and 15 years old, are sold by impoverished
parents to settle debts or they are given away to become the wives of
men who are years or even decades older. For a young girl, a child, to
be forced into marriage to an adult man can only be described as a life
of slavery, child molestation, and servitude. This is not marriage. It
is a violation of the most basic human rights of a child.
On the floor today is S. 987, the International Protecting Girls by
Preventing Child Marriage Act, a bill that was passed unanimously in
the United States Senate. Let me repeat. This bill passed unanimously.
Every Republican and every Democrat in the Senate supported it.
I want to commend Senators Richard Durbin and Olympia Snowe, along
with the other bipartisan cosponsors, for their tremendous efforts to
protect vulnerable girls.
It is my honor to be the sponsor of the companion bill in the House,
and I want to thank my Republican colleagues, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr.
LaTourette, Mr. Schock, and Mr. Latham, for their bipartisan support
for ending child marriage.
According to UNICEF, child marriage is ``the most prevalent form of
sexual abuse and exploitation of girls.'' One in every seven girls in
the developing world is forced into marriage sometime before the age of
15, millions of girls every year.
A 13-year-old that is forced into marriage will not go to school. She
is most certainly guaranteed to be a victim of domestic violence. She
is condemned to a lifetime of poverty, and she is more likely to die or
be disabled in childbirth, and because she is a child, her infant is
more likely to die.
HIV infection, maternal death, child death, gender-based violence,
and extreme poverty are all deadly obstacles to development that
destroys families, weakens communities, and destabilizes countries.
Child marriage contributes to all of these destructive problems.
The photo I have with me was taken by a brilliant photojournalist,
Stephanie Sinclair, who documented child marriage in Afghanistan. This
11-year-old girl in this photo, Ghulam, is not seated with her
grandfather. The man next to this child is her husband-to-be. This
little girl's father gave her away to be married because he was too
poor to care for her. Ghulam's value to her husband comes from her
ability to work in the field, care for animals, and
[[Page H8473]]
because she's a virgin. In this country, a man treating an 11-year-old
as his wife would be imprisoned as a sexual predator, a pedophile. In
Afghanistan, an 11-year-old's abuser is her husband.
{time} 1950
It does not matter where in this world an 11-year-old girl is; she
should never be anyone's wife. Today we have an opportunity to put the
lives of vulnerable girls ahead of what is all too common at times
partisan political games that take place in this House. Today we can
show our constituents in the world that the life of every girl has
value and limitless potential if they can grow up free from
exploitation.
It is my firm belief that girls, girls everywhere--in America, in
Ethiopia, in Afghanistan--deserve the right to enter adulthood with the
freedom to decide for themselves who their husband will be. A girl is
not a commodity to be traded. She is a precious member of a community
who needs to be valued and allowed to grow into adulthood.
This Congress and the American people spend billions of tax dollars
on foreign assistance. The U.S. has a direct interest and an
opportunity to ensure that girls in the developing world can grow up to
be healthy, productive, contributing members of their communities and
their countries.
Not only do girls deserve the right to choose their future husband;
they deserve the opportunity to get an education, to contribute their
skills and their talents to develop their countries.
This legislation supports and expands the successful models already
in place for promoting girls' education, protecting the human rights of
girls, and eliminating the practice of child marriage. This bill
authorizes existing State Department funds to be used to implement a
strategy to protect girls from being forced into marriage. This bill
does not spend one additional dollar that is not already appropriated
by Congress for health, education, democracy, or other development
activities.
Earlier this week, I was honored to receive a letter from Archbishop
Desmond Tutu of South Africa, urging the House to pass S. 987. The
letter says: ``Child marriage is a harmful practice that treats young
girls as property, stops their education, and robs them of their
childhood and dignity.'' The archbishop goes on: ``We thank you for
your attention and dedication to passing this bill before Congress
adjourns. By doing so, you may help make the difference between lives
of opportunity or enslavement for millions of young girls in the
developing world.''
Mr. Speaker, child marriage is sanctioned sexual abuse that destroys
girls' lives. The choice before this Congress is to do nothing as young
girls and children continue to be enslaved, raped, and condemned to a
life of abuse and poverty; or we can join the U.S. Senate and vote to
pass this legislation and have the United States stand with millions of
girls today and tomorrow who seek nothing more than the freedom, the
opportunity, and the time to be allowed to be children and grow into
adulthood without being forced into marriage.
I thank Chairman Berman for his support, and I urge all my colleagues
to vote to protect millions of girls in this world from sexual abuse.
The Elders Foundation,
London, UK, December 13, 2010.
Hon. Betty McCollum,
Longworth House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Ander Crenshaw,
Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representatives McCollum and Crenshaw: As Chair of The
Elders, I am writing to thank you for your leadership and
support of the International Protecting Girls by Preventing
Child Marriage Act (S. 987 and H.R. 2103). The Senate passed
the bill by unanimous consent on 1 December 2010, and we now
encourage the House of Representatives to pass this important
measure.
As an independent group of global leaders, brought together
by Nelson Mandela, we seek to address major causes of human
suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. Part
of that effort involves speaking out about gender
discrimination and the oppression of girls and women, issues
we know many members of the House care about as well.
Child marriage is a harmful practice that treats young
girls as property, stops their education and robs them of
their childhood and dignity. Child brides are at far greater
risk of dying in childbirth, while their children are also
less likely to survive infancy than the children of older
mothers. Often married to much older men, child brides are
more vulnerable than their unmarried peers to sexually
transmitted diseases including HIV and AIDS. There is
compelling evidence that child marriage is a significant
brake on the achievement of no less than six of the eight
Millennium Development Goals. UNICEF estimates that in
developing countries, 60 million girls now aged 20-24 were
married under the age of 18. That number is likely to
increase by 100 million over the next decade if these trends
continue.
In our recent Washington Post op-ed, President Mary
Robinson and I told the story of Dhaki, a 13-year-old girl
from Ethiopia who was married to a man eleven years her
senior. Her husband regularly forced himself upon her. Her
cries were ignored by neighbours who shunned her for not
respecting the wishes of her husband. Thanks to a local
development program, Dhaki has since been freed from this
torture and is continuing her education.
My fellow Elders and I strongly believe that the
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage
Act can provide assistance to developing countries to help
them reduce child marriage rates and promote the empowerment
of girls and women worldwide. It will help innocent girls
like Dhaki who were trapped in abusive, forced marriages that
amount to a modern version of slavery. Please consider this
letter a public endorsement of this legislation by The
Elders.
We thank you for your attention and dedication to passing
this bill before Congress adjourns. By doing so, you may help
make the difference between lives of opportunity or
enslavement for millions of young girls in the developing
world.
God Bless You.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Chair.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott).
(Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the
International Protecting Girls By Preventing Child Marriage Act.
Recently, Nelson Mandela asked a group of the world's most thoughtful
and experienced political and moral leaders to identify the largest
issues fueling humanitarian problems, and forced child marriage is at
the top of the list. Child marriage denies girls the chance to get a
full education. Every country in the world that has advanced has
educated their women as the first step. Child marriage prevents girls
from contributing to their communities in the fullest way possible, and
it contributes to the health crisis among women and babies in countries
around the world.
In the next 10 years, it's estimated that over 100 million young
girls will be forcibly married if we don't act, and the policy of the
United States right now is to write more reports. With this bill, we
can make a huge difference with no additional taxpayer moneys being
spent. This bill gives clear guidelines on how already-appropriated
moneys are to be spent in countries with the greatest problems, in ways
that are culturally sensitive and community-based. It requires the
State Department to track the issue annually as part of our human
rights considerations.
Mr. Speaker, this bill will save lives and save dreams, and I urge my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise, as do others on our side of the aisle today, as a supporter
of efforts to combat child marriage in developing countries but in
opposition to the Senate bill that we are considering today. I want you
to know, before I make all my remarks, that I have actually seen forced
child marriages in countries like Saudi Arabia firsthand. And it is a
horrible thing, and I am very supportive of stopping that practice.
It's truly distressing to know that there still are countries where
underage girls, like in Saudi Arabia, are compelled to marry much older
men and lose their innocence and hope forever. The health of such young
girls can suffer, as can their future opportunities to lead productive
lives filled with normal social and economic opportunities, lives in
which they can contribute with their full potential to their societies
and their economies.
Concern over this problem is not a partisan issue. For example, in
response to the plight of such young
[[Page H8474]]
women and to ensure that the prevention of child marriage is an
integral part of U.S. efforts to promote respect for fundamental
universally recognized human rights, in May of last year, Ranking
Member Ros-Lehtinen of the Foreign Affairs Committee expressly included
pertinent language in the Republican alternative version for the State
Department authorization bill, H.R. 2475.
However, much has changed in our domestic fiscal environment over the
course of the last 2 years. Here at home, we have Americans who are
losing their houses, their homes, State and local governments that are
on the verge of bankruptcy, cities that are reducing their police and
firefighting forces, an economy that is close to stalling due to lack
of growth, and I could go on and on. But in light of all these facts,
even the provision that had been included in the Republican proposal,
or the authorization of State Department operations, last year would
now need to be revised to cut spending and address the budgetary
challenges that we face.
Regrettably, the bill adopted by the Senate that we are considering
today does not reflect the current fiscal realities. The Congressional
Budget Office has stated that the manner in which the provisions of
this bill are drafted would result in $108 million of authorized
funding and $67 million in actual outlays over the next few years,
which is different than what we have heard here on the floor.
{time} 2000
Further, despite inquiries to the Congressional Research Service and,
through CRS, the State Department and Agency for International
Development, there is apparently no available confirmed figure on
exactly how much aid the United States already provides to fight child
marriage overseas.
We do know that such U.S. assistance programs, programs that
specifically include the prevention of child marriage as an objective,
are already underway. But no one can tell us how much taxpayer funding
is already being used to fight child marriage in developing countries.
To achieve the policy objectives we seek, while taking into account
the economic challenges and limitations our Nation, our constituents
are facing, this week Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen introduced a bill on
the prevention of child marriage which enjoys the support of several of
our colleagues in this House. That bill reflects modifications that
Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen had sought to make to the Senate text
before it came to the floor, but they were not accepted. Instead of the
$67 million in outlays over the next 5 years in the Senate text before
us, the provisions of that bill would have resulted in less than $1
million in potential costs.
The Republican alternative proposed the following:
First, we make it clear that child marriage is a violation of human
rights and that its prevention should be a goal of U.S. foreign policy;
Second, since there's currently no legislative requirement for a U.S.
strategy for assistance to prevent child marriage, we require the
creation of such a multiyear strategy;
Third, we require a report within 1 year that would inform us on the
progress of the required strategy and, perhaps more important, give us
a comprehensive assessment of what we already are doing and funding in
the effort to fight child marriage; and
Finally, that the practice of child marriage in other countries be
reported each year as part of the annual Human Rights Report, and that
the practice of child marriage also be reported for those countries
that are potential recipients of U.S. security assistance.
I believe the alternative approach that was proposed would have
achieved the goals we desire without adding to our economic burdens.
Regrettably, we are faced with S. 987 and its price tag of $67 million.
Mr. Speaker, having outlined my concerns with the bill before us
today, I ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I assume the gentleman from Indiana has no
further speakers.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I have no further speakers, but I will add one
more comment if I may, and that is: Make no mistake about it----
Mr. BERMAN. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Well, I have not yielded my time, so I will
use my time. I will be happy to use your time.
Mr. BERMAN. I would yield the gentleman such time as he may consume,
up to a point, everything except 1 minute.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I won't take the full minute. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
Let me just say that I don't want anyone to think we're not very
sympathetic to the problem. We are, but the fiscal problems we face in
this country right now are of paramount concern to all of us. And for
that reason, we must bring this to a vote, and that's the reason why I
ask for it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
And I do it simply in the context of urging my colleagues to vote for
this legislation; to point out, number 1, that this is not an
entitlement program. This is an authorization. It is not an
appropriation.
To the extent, after we pass this legislation and it is signed into
law, that the statement takes its appropriated resources and uses some
of those resources to develop the strategic plan to work with these
organizations for what the gentleman himself concedes is a very
important cause, those resources will come from some other form of
resources. They will not be additional spending unless there is an
appropriation. And this bill is not an appropriations bill; it is an
authorization bill.
I urge my colleagues to support it. It's a critical issue.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act.
Child marriage is an international epidemic, with 100 million girls
projected to marry in the next decade.
Not only do these young girls lose the opportunity to achieve their
full potential, but they also are at risk for serious health
consequences. Childbirth is five times more deadly for girls under 15
than for women in their twenties, and pregnancy is the most common
cause of death for girls between the age of 15 and 19.
HIV/AIDS is another serious risk for child brides, as they frequently
marry more sexually experienced men. In many countries in sub-Saharan
Africa, girls under the age of 19 are more than twice as likely to
contract HIV as boys of the same age.
Young girls frequently experience trauma and violence in these
marriages.
A front page article in The New York Times on November 7, 2010 told
the story of Farzana, a young girl living in Afghanistan.
Although she dreamed of being a teacher, Farzana was engaged at age 8
and married four years later. Her husband beat her for the first time
on her wedding day, and the beatings continued for four years. She was
forbidden to see her mother.
Farzana tells us, ``I thought of running away from that house, but
then I thought: what will happen to the name of my family? No one in
our family has asked for divorce. So how can I be the first?''
Left with few choices, Farzana set herself on fire. After burning
half her body, she lived--but only after 57 days in the hospital and
multiple surgeries.
Farzana's dream of becoming a teacher was killed by a premature
marriage.
She--and millions of others like her--deserve better.
The bill that we are considering today will help realize the dreams
of many young girls like Farzana by expanding assistance to prevent
child marriage and empower girls around the world.
Young girls everywhere deserve the opportunity to make their own
decisions and determine their own destiny.
Mr. BERMAN. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 987.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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