[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 76 (Thursday, May 24, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3655-S3657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTERNATIONAL PROTECTING GIRLS BY PREVENTING CHILD MARRIAGE ACT OF 2011
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to consideration
of Calendar No. 412, S. 414.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 414) to protect girls in developing countries through the
prevention of child marriage, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to urge that the Senate pass
S. 414, the ``Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act.'' As
the Senate prepares to approve this bipartisan measure, we should take
a moment to acknowledge and reflect upon the critical impact this
legislation will have on the estimated 100 million girls in developing
countries who are at risk of being married as children over the next
decade.
The harmful practice of forced child marriage often exacerbates
social, economic, and political instability in the developing world,
and can prohibit smooth economic and political transition.
For example, Afghanistan's high female illiteracy rates and maternal
mortality rates are among the most significant obstacles standing in
the way of long-term progress and stability. Without ending child
marriage, which remains one of the many underlying catalysts of these
poor outcomes, the road ahead for women in Afghanistan will be all the
more grueling. And women in Afghanistan are by no means alone in the
struggle the discriminatory norms that perpetuate child marriage also
prohibit full participation of women in the economic and political life
in many other regions of the world.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund--UNICEF--an estimated
60,000,000 girls between the ages of 20 through 24 were married before
they turned 18. The Population Council estimates that the number will
increase by 100 million over the next decade if current trends
continue. In addition to denying these tens of millions of women and
girls their dignity, child marriage continues to endanger their health.
Marriage at an early age puts girls at greater risk of dying as a
result of childbirth. Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the
leading cause of death for women 15 to 19 years old in most Third World
countries.
Furthermore, women and girls are the world's greatest untapped
resources. Studies conducted by the Food and Agricultural
Organization--FAO--have confirmed that women are the main-stay of small
scale agriculture, farm labor, and day-to-day family subsistence
accounting for half of the world's food production.
However, child marriage continues to be a barrier to the improvement
of society and the development of these young women. And,
unfortunately, early marriages continue to pull girls out of school and
prohibit them from gaining vital skills to engage in income generating
activities, actively participate in efforts to shape their communities,
and often block their ability to achieve food security.
I am heartened to see the United States Senate affirm the United
States' commitment to promote the basic human rights of all individuals
and through this small step improve the lives of millions of girls by
passing this bill today.
Before closing, let me briefly commend my friend and colleague,
Senator Durbin of Illinois. He has been a leader on this topic for a
number of years and
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I have been privileged to work with him on this bill. Once the Senate
completes action on this bill, I hope that the U.S. House will able to
quickly approve it and send it to the White House for signature by
President Obama.
Mr. REID. I ask the bill be read a third time and the Senate proceed
to a voice vote on passage of the bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on the engrossment and third
reading of the bill.
The bill (S. 414) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and
was read the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the
question is, Shall the bill pass?
The bill (S. 414) was passed, as follows:
S. 414
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 2011''.
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
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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:
``(j) 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.''.
Mr. REID. I now ask the motion to reconsider be laid on the table,
there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to
this measure be printed in the Record as if read.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________