[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 167 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H8522-H8523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1010
              INTERNATIONAL PREVENTING CHILD MARRIAGE ACT

  (Mr. SCHOCK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the International 
Preventing Child Marriage Act.
  I had the opportunity to travel earlier this year in September with 
the well-respected nonprofit CARE to the country of Ethiopia. During 
that time, we visited the Hamlin Fistula Hospital and saw firsthand the 
atrocities and the realities of the situation with so many of these 
young girls who are forced into early marriages beyond their wishes, 
marriages that rob their potential to grow and mature both physically 
as well as mentally, for them to be able to establish their own life 
and their own goals and hopes and dreams for them to pursue.
  As a leader here in our country and around the world in preventing 
world poverty and spreading goodwill, there can be nothing better that 
we can do as a country than to join with our international partners in 
trying to prevent child marriage, both in Ethiopia as well as other 
countries around the world, and give these young women the

[[Page H8523]]

hope and opportunity that people in our country have for themselves.
  I urge a ``yes'' vote.

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