[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 44 (Thursday, March 5, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1601-S1602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 533--SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S 
                                  DAY

  Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Murphy, and Ms. Baldwin) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 533

       Whereas, as of March 2020, there are approximately 
     3,764,000,000 women and girls in the world;
       Whereas women and girls around the world--
       (1) have fundamental human rights;
       (2) play a critical role in providing and caring for their 
     families and driving positive change in their communities;
       (3) contribute substantially to food security, economic 
     growth, the prevention and resolution of conflict, and the 
     sustainability of peace and stability; and
       (4) must have meaningful opportunities to more fully 
     participate in and lead the political, social, and economic 
     lives of their communities;
       Whereas the advancement and empowerment of women and girls 
     around the world is a foreign policy priority for the United 
     States and is critical to the achievement of global peace and 
     prosperity;
       Whereas 2020 marks the anniversary of significant 
     milestones toward advancing the human rights and equality of 
     women and girls, including--
       (1) the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the United 
     States; and
       (2) the 20th anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security 
     Agenda, which was established through the unanimous adoption 
     of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in October 
     2000;
       Whereas the National Security Strategy of the United 
     States, published in December 2017--
       (1) declares that ``[s]ocieties that empower women to 
     participate fully in civic and economic life are more 
     prosperous and peaceful'';
       (2) supports ``efforts to advance women's equality, protect 
     the rights of women and girls, and promote women and youth 
     empowerment programs''; and
       (3) recognizes that ``governments that fail to treat women 
     equally do not allow their societies to reach their 
     potential'';
       Whereas, on October 6, 2017, the Women, Peace, and Security 
     Act of 2017 (22 U.S.C. 2152j et seq.) was enacted into law, 
     which includes requirements for a government-wide ``Women, 
     Peace, and Security Strategy'' to promote and strengthen the 
     participation of women in peace negotiations and conflict 
     prevention overseas, enhanced training for relevant United 
     States Government personnel, and follow-up evaluations of the 
     effectiveness of the strategy;
       Whereas the United States Strategy on Women, Peace, and 
     Security, dated June 2019, recognizes that--
       (1) the ``[s]ocial and political marginalization of women 
     strongly correlates with the likelihood that a country will 
     experience conflict'';
       (2) there is a ``tremendous amount of untapped potential 
     among the world's women and girls to identify, recommend, and 
     implement effective solutions to conflict'', and there are 
     ``benefits derived from creating opportunities for women and 
     girls to serve as agents of peace via political, economic, 
     and social empowerment''; and
       (3) barriers to the meaningful participation of women and 
     girls in conflict prevention and resolution efforts ``include 
     under-representation in political leadership, pervasive 
     violence against women and girls, and persistent inequality 
     in many societies'';
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Entity for Gender 
     Equality and the Empowerment of Women (commonly referred to 
     as ``UN Women''), peace negotiations are more likely to end 
     in a peace agreement when women and women's groups play a 
     meaningful role in the negotiation process;
       Whereas, according to a study by the International Peace 
     Institute, a peace agreement is 35 percent more likely to 
     last at least 15 years if women participate in the 
     development of the peace agreement;
       Whereas there are 83 national action plans relating to the 
     empowerment of women around the world, 11 regional action 
     plans, and at least 9 additional national action plans in 
     development;
       Whereas the joint strategy of the Department of State and 
     the United States Agency for International Development 
     (USAID) entitled ``Department of State & USAID Joint Strategy 
     on Countering Violent Extremism'' and dated May 2016--
       (1) notes that women can play a critical role in 
     identifying and addressing drivers of violent extremism in 
     their families, communities, and broader society; and
       (2) commits to supporting programs that engage women ``as 
     key stakeholders in preventing and countering violent 
     extremism in their communities'';
       Whereas, according to the Bureau of International Narcotics 
     and Law Enforcement Affairs of the Department of State, the 
     full and meaningful participation of women in criminal 
     justice professions and security forces vastly enhances the 
     effectiveness of the security forces;
       Whereas, despite the contributions of women to society, 
     hundreds of millions of women and girls around the world 
     continue to be denied the right to participate freely in 
     civic and economic life, lack fundamental legal protections, 
     and remain vulnerable to exploitation and abuse;
       Whereas, every year, approximately 12,000,000 girls are 
     married before they reach the age of 18, which means that--
       (1) nearly 33,000 girls are married every day; or
       (2) nearly 23 girls are married every minute;
       Whereas, despite global progress, it is predicted that by 
     2030 more than 150,000,000 more girls will marry before 
     reaching the age of 18, and approximately 2,400,000 girls who 
     are married before reaching the age of 18 are under the age 
     of 15;
       Whereas girls living in countries affected by conflict or 
     other humanitarian crises are often the most vulnerable to 
     child marriage, and 9 of the 10 countries with the highest 
     rates of child marriage are considered fragile or extremely 
     fragile;
       Whereas, according to the International Labour 
     Organization, 71 percent of the estimated 40,300,000 victims 
     of modern slavery in 2016 were women or girls;
       Whereas, according to the United Nation's Children's Fund 
     (commonly referred to as ``UNICEF'')--
       (1) approximately \1/4\ of girls between the ages of 15 and 
     19 are victims of physical violence;
       (2) approximately 120,000,000 girls worldwide, slightly 
     more than 1 in 10, have experienced forced sexual acts; and
       (3) an estimated 1 in 3 women around the world has 
     experienced some form of physical or sexual violence;
       Whereas, according to the 2018 report of the United Nations 
     Office on Drugs and Crime entitled ``Global Report on 
     Trafficking in Persons'', 72 percent of all detected 
     trafficking victims are women or girls; 
       Whereas, on August 10, 2012, the United States Government 
     launched a strategy entitled ``United States Strategy to 
     Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally'', 
     which is the first interagency strategy that--
       (1) addresses gender-based violence around the world;
       (2) advances the rights and status of women and girls;
       (3) promotes gender equality in United States foreign 
     policy; and
       (4) works to bring about a world in which all individuals 
     can pursue their aspirations without the threat of violence;
       Whereas, in June 2016, the Department of State released an 
     update to that strategy, underscoring that ``[p]reventing and 
     responding to gender-based violence is a cornerstone of the 
     U.S. Government's commitment to advancing human rights and 
     promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and 
     girls''; 
       Whereas, despite the achievements of individual female 
     leaders and evidence that democracy and equality under the 
     law form a mutually reinforcing relationship in which higher 
     levels of equality are strongly correlated with the relative 
     state of peace of a country, a healthier domestic security 
     environment, and lower levels of aggression toward other 
     countries--
       (1) women around the world remain vastly underrepresented 
     in--
          (A) national and local legislatures and governments; and
          (B) other high-level positions; and
       (2) according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women 
     account for only 25 percent of national parliamentarians and 
     21 percent of government ministers;
       Whereas the ability of women and girls to realize their 
     full potential is critical to the ability of a country to 
     achieve strong and lasting economic growth, self-reliance, 
     and political and social stability;
       Whereas the overall level of violence against women is a 
     better predictor of the peacefulness of a country, the 
     compliance of a country with international treaty 
     obligations, and the relations of a country with neighboring 
     countries than indicators measuring the level of democracy, 
     level of wealth, or level of institutionalization of the 
     country;
       Whereas, although the United Nations Millennium Project 
     reached the goal of achieving gender parity in primary 
     education in most countries in 2015, more work remains to be 
     done to achieve gender equality in primary and secondary 
     education, and particularly in secondary education worldwide 
     as gender gaps persist and widen, by addressing--
       (1) discriminatory practices;
       (2) harmful cultural and social norms;

[[Page S1602]]

       (3) inadequate sanitation facilities, including facilities 
     to manage menstruation;
       (4) child, early, and forced marriage;
       (5) poverty;
       (6) early pregnancy and motherhood;
       (7) conflict and insecurity; and
       (8) other factors that favor boys or devalue girls' 
     education;
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Educational, 
     Scientific and Cultural Organization--
       (1) approximately 129,200,000 girls between the ages of 6 
     and 17 remain out of school;
       (2) girls living in countries affected by conflict are 2.5 
     times more likely to be out of school than boys;
       (3) girls are twice as likely as boys to never set foot in 
     a classroom; and
       (4) up to 30 percent of girls who drop out of school do so 
     because of adolescent pregnancy or child marriage;
       Whereas women around the world face a variety of 
     constraints that severely limit their economic participation 
     and productivity and remain underrepresented in the labor 
     force;
       Whereas the economic empowerment of women is inextricably 
     linked to a myriad of other human rights that are essential 
     to the ability of women to thrive as economic actors, 
     including--
       (1) living lives free of violence and exploitation;
       (2) achieving the highest possible standard of health and 
     well-being;
       (3) enjoying full legal and human rights, such as access to 
     registration, identification, and citizenship documents, and 
     freedom of movement;
       (4) access to formal and informal education;
       (5) access to, and equal protection under, land and 
     property rights;
       (6) access to fundamental labor rights;
       (7) the implementation of policies to address 
     disproportionate care burdens; and
       (8) receiving business and management skills and leadership 
     opportunities;
       Whereas closing the global gender gap in labor markets 
     could increase worldwide gross domestic product by as much as 
     $28,000,000,000,000 by 2025;
       Whereas, pursuant to section 3(b) of the Women's 
     Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (22 
     U.S.C. 2151-2(b)), it is the international development 
     cooperation policy of the United States--
       (1) to reduce gender disparities with respect to economic, 
     social, political, educational, and cultural resources, as 
     well as wealth, opportunities, and services;
       (2) to strive to eliminate gender-based violence and 
     mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities, 
     including through efforts to develop standards and capacity 
     to reduce gender-based violence in the workplace and other 
     places where women work;
       (3) to support activities that secure private property 
     rights and land tenure for women in developing countries, 
     including--
          (A) supporting legal frameworks that give women equal 
     rights to own, register, use, profit from, and inherit land 
     and property;
          (B) improving legal literacy to enable women to exercise 
     the rights described in subparagraph (A); and
          (C) improving the capacity of law enforcement and 
     community leaders to enforce such rights;
       (4) to increase the capability of women and girls to fully 
     exercise their rights, determine their life outcomes, assume 
     leadership roles, and influence decision making in 
     households, communities, and societies; and
       (5) to improve the access of women and girls to education, 
     particularly higher education opportunities in business, 
     finance, and management, in order to enhance financial 
     literacy and business development, management, and strategy 
     skills;
       Whereas, pursuant to National Security Presidential 
     Memorandum 16, entitled ``Promoting Women's Global 
     Development and Prosperity'', ``It is the policy of the 
     United States to enhance the opportunity for women to 
     meaningfully participate in, contribute to, and benefit from 
     economic opportunities as individuals, workers, consumers, 
     innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors, so that they enjoy 
     the same access, rights, and opportunities as men to 
     participate in, contribute to, control, and benefit from 
     economic activity.'';
       Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, global 
     maternal mortality decreased by approximately 44 percent 
     between 1990 and 2015, yet approximately 830 women and girls 
     continue to die from preventable causes relating to pregnancy 
     or childbirth each day, and 99 percent of all maternal deaths 
     occur in developing countries;
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Population Fund, 
     of the 830 women and adolescent girls who die every day from 
     preventable causes relating to pregnancy and childbirth, 507 
     die each day in countries that are considered fragile because 
     of conflict or disaster, accounting for approximately \3/5\ 
     of all maternal deaths worldwide;
       Whereas the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner 
     for Refugees reports that women and girls comprise 
     approximately \1/2\ of the 67,200,000 refugees and internally 
     displaced or stateless individuals in the world;
       Whereas women and girls in humanitarian emergencies, 
     including those subject to forced displacement, face 
     increased and exacerbated vulnerabilities to--
       (1) gender-based violence, including, rape, child marriage, 
     domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation 
     and assault;
       (2) disruptions in education and livelihood;
       (3) lack of access to comprehensive health services and 
     information; and
       (4) food insecurity and malnutrition;
       Whereas malnutrition poses a variety of threats to women 
     and girls specifically, as malnutrition can weaken their 
     immune systems, making them more susceptible to infections, 
     and affects their capacity to survive childbirth, and 
     children born of malnourished women and girls are more likely 
     to have cognitive impairments and higher risk of disease 
     throughout their lives;
       Whereas it is imperative--
       (1) to alleviate violence and discrimination against women 
     and girls; and
       (2) to afford women and girls every opportunity to be full 
     and productive members of their communities; and
       Whereas March 8, 2020, is recognized as International 
     Women's Day, a global day--
       (1) to celebrate the economic, political, and social 
     achievements of women in the past, present, and future; and
       (2) to recognize the obstacles that women face in the 
     struggle for equal rights and opportunities: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals of International Women's Day;
       (2) recognizes that the ability of women and girls to fully 
     access and enjoy fundamental human rights has intrinsic value 
     that affects their quality of life and ability to determine 
     their own futures;
       (3) recognizes that the empowerment of women and girls is 
     inextricably linked to the potential of a country to 
     generate--
       (A) economic growth and self-reliance;
       (B) sustainable peace and democracy; and
       (C) inclusive security;
       (4) recognizes and honors individuals in the United States 
     and around the world, including women human rights defenders, 
     girl activists, and civil society leaders, who have worked 
     throughout history to ensure that women and girls are 
     guaranteed equality and fundamental human rights;
       (5) recognizes the unique cultural, historical, and 
     religious differences throughout the world and urges the 
     United States Government to act with respect and 
     understanding toward legitimate differences when promoting 
     any policies;
       (6) reaffirms the commitment--
       (A) to end discrimination and violence against women and 
     girls;
       (B) to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of women and 
     girls;
       (C) to pursue policies that guarantee the fundamental human 
     rights of women and girls worldwide; and
       (D) to promote meaningful and significant participation of 
     women in every aspect of society and community, including 
     conflict prevention, protection, peacemaking, and 
     peacebuilding;
       (7) supports sustainable, measurable, and global 
     development that seeks to achieve gender equality and the 
     empowerment of women and girls; and
       (8) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
     activities.

                          ____________________