[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2892-2893]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  OBSERVING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about International 
Women's Day. International Women's Day is an occasion to honor and 
praise women for their accomplishments and to celebrate women who are 
making a difference, both here in America and around the world. Already 
this year, we have seen advances for women in the United States. In 
January, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that women 
in the military can now join their male colleagues on the front line. 
America's military is the greatest in the world and it has been made 
stronger with the promise of equal opportunity for women and men. Last 
month, we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, which provides 
victims of domestic violence with the services they desperately need.
  We need to ensure that women across the world, not just in the United 
States, have the same liberty to determine the scope of their own lives 
and futures. Unfortunately, in far too many nations women face 
extraordinary obstacles. A woman's ability to earn a sustained income 
is severely limited by cultural norms and lack of opportunity, which 
explains why women represent nearly 70 percent of the world's poor. And 
if extreme poverty and destitution weren't enough, women around the 
world are under attack. Worldwide, 1 in 3 women will experience some 
form of violence in her lifetime. Women and girls in emergencies, 
conflict settings, and natural disasters often face extreme violence. 
The World Health Organization has reported that up to 70 percent of 
women in some countries describe having been victims of domestic 
violence at some stage in their lives.
  When we discuss the issues of poverty and violence against women, we 
cannot think of them in isolation. They work in tandem, feeding off of 
one another. Violence against women and girls is both a major 
consequence and cause of poverty; the two go hand-in-hand. Violence 
prevents women and girls from getting an education, going to work, and 
earning the income they need to lift themselves and their families out 
of poverty.
  I believe in the power of women to change the world, and empowering 
women is one of the most critical tools in our tool box to fight 
poverty and injustice. Integrating the unique needs of women into our 
domestic and international policies is critical. Decades of research 
and experience prove that when women are able to be fully engaged in 
society and hold decisionmaking power, they are more likely to invest 
their income in food, clean water, education, and health care for their 
children. Investment in women creates a positive cycle of change that 
lifts women, families, and entire communities out of poverty.
  In January, President Obama issued a memorandum on the coordination 
of policies and programs to promote gender equality and empower women 
globally. This memo recognizes that coordinating gender equality and 
empowering women is critical to effective international assistance 
across all sectors such as food security, health care, governance, 
climate change, and science and technology.
  Our Nation has the potential to be a true leader in empowering women 
across the globe, ending gender-based discrimination in all forms, and 
ending violence against women and girls worldwide. And on this 
International Women's Day, let us join together to continue to fight 
for the rights of women both at home and abroad.

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