[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 167 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTERNATIONAL PROTECTING GIRLS BY PREVENTING CHILD MARRIAGE ACT OF 2010

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                               speech of

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 15, 2010

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2103, the 
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act. This 
important legislation will ensure a healthy life for young women across 
the globe by recognizing child marriage as a human rights violation and 
developing a comprehensive strategy that will include preventive 
approaches to ending the harmful practice of child marriage.
  Child marriage, also known as ``forced marriage'' is a common 
tradition in poor and rural communities. Poverty is a common thread in 
developing countries that carry this tradition of forced marriages. 
Limited family resources result in families offering their daughters in 
marriage with the hope of securing a better future and thus, escaping 
the trap of poverty. However, millions of girls who marry young are 
instead stripped of their childhood and deprived of their basic human 
rights as well as opportunities for education, employment and health. 
Moreover, they are subjected to extreme poverty, hard labor, domestic 
violence and maternal health risks that often ultimately lead to their 
death. In fact, child marriage is the leading cause of death for girls 
ages 15 to 19 in developing countries.
  These facts are troubling and daunting. Nevertheless, we have the 
resources to change and eradicate this practice by supporting 
comprehensive policies that will advance the necessary education and 
health awareness that will cause these communities to question this 
tradition's consequences. According to the United Nations Children Fund 
(UNICEF), an estimated 60 million girls in developing countries, now 
ages 20 to 24, were married under the age of 18. If present trends 
continue, more than one hundred million more girls in developing 
countries will be married as children over the next decade, according 
to the Population Council. This is a dangerous trend that the world 
cannot allow to continue or endure.
  It is important that the United States support these voiceless young 
girls and recognize child marriage as a human rights violation. This 
issue must be addressed, monitored, and prevented. The way of doing 
this is by passing this bill. I urge all of my colleagues to support 
vote ``yes.''

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