On July 7, the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights held a hearing on U.S. support of human rights and democracy.
Subcommittee Chair Elton Gallegly (R-CA) explained the purpose of the hearing. “Today, the Subcommittee is holding an oversight hearing on the Congressionally mandated report: Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2003-2004. This report was mandated in 2002 and is a companion report to the annual Country Reports of Human Rights Practices. The report is intended to reflect the extent to which the United States government has taken or will take action to encourage countries to end the practice of extrajudicial killings, torture, or other serious human rights abuses.” He said there is “an unprecedented opportunity to assist in supporting positive change,” noting “bright spots” such as the Middle East, the Western Hemisphere, Africa and Asia. Rep. Gallegly acknowledged that “much work” remains to be done, especially in North Korea, Burma, and western Sudan.
Ranking Member Brad Sherman (D-CA) argued that the United States has lost some of its leadership and credibility due to the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Regarding the report, Rep. Sherman noted that there is a tendency to detail positive developments “while failing to mention what we are not doing.” Emphasizing that “the administration has to use all the tools” available to combat human rights abuses, he recommended that future reports include statutory mandates on human rights and explanations as to how the mandates have or have not been implemented for each situation.
Presenting the report on behalf of the State Department, Assistant Secretary Lorne Craner stated, “The support we’ve given for the past quarter of a century all over the world has helped usher in some of the most dramatic political changes in history. Twenty-five years ago, there were around 40 democracies in the world. Today, there are more than 120.” Mr. Craner cited U.S. actions to address the “killing, torture, and rape” in Darfur as an example of successful human rights initiatives. In addition to Secretary Powell’s visit to Sudan and his conversations with the Sudanese government conveying U.S. concerns about the Darfur crisis, Mr. Craner said that the State Department is working with NGOs to document human rights atrocities in Darfur and to conduct investigations among refugees on the Chad border.
Mr. Craner reviewed highlights of the report, which include U.S. sponsored activities to improve the rights of women: a school to enhance the leadership skills of East African women so they can run for political office; workshops for women journalists in Saudi Arabia; and increased funding “aimed explicitly at promoting the economic, political, legal and social status of Iraqi women and girls.” He also paid tribute to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma as one of the “brave souls…working hard to achieve freedom.”
Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Roger Winter, praised the State Department report and pointed out that USAID works closely with the State Department and other governmental agencies to promote democracy and human rights. He noted, however, “Ultimately, the fate of peoples and nations is in their own hands.” Addressing the crisis in Darfur, Mr. Winter said that there is “direct documentation” of mass rape in addition to proof that the government has “engaged in a cover up.” He summarized the USAID programs for Sudan, which include civic education, funding for community-based human rights monitoring activities, and child protection programs.
Concerning reconstruction in Iraq, Mr. Winter stressed the importance of addressing the needs of women. “Every major aspect of our Iraq program,” he said, “considers the needs and capabilities of women in education, employment, health, agriculture, and political life…We are creating women’s centers in all nine districts that will serve as training centers and meeting places to empower women and assist them.”
During the question and answer period, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) noted that the report often mentions gender-based violence. “We should be doing more to help women in these situations,” she said. Rep. McCollum asked for more information on the HIV/AIDS crisis, noting that women and children in particular “are unable to improve their lives.” Mr. Craner said that the State Department has tried to address gender-based violence in their programs, especially in Afghanistan. On the HIV/AIDS crisis, he assured the subcommittee that this is a “central and particular” concern of Secretary Powell. He said that a new AIDS office has been established in the State Department and new initiatives are being developed.
The second panel consisted of representatives from organizations engaged in promoting democracy and human rights. Carl Gersham of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) outlined programs throughout the world funded by NED, including many aimed at promoting the rights of women:
Mr. Gersham said that protests in Algeria by mothers of individuals who disappeared at the hands of security forces led to the creation of two associations working to promote “accountability and respect for rule of law in a country that has been plagued by its absence.” He also announced that two of the four 2004 Endowment Democracy Award winners are women: Russian activists Ludmilla Alexyeva and Mara Polyakova.
Richard Williamson, member of the Board of Directors of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and U.S. representative to the UN Commission on Human Rights, said that the IRI has worked in over seventy countries during the past twenty years to help people develop their own democratic systems. He detailed IRI programs, including initiatives in Sudan, China, Iraq, Albania, Turkey, and Jordan that promote the advancement of women. “IRI efforts over the years in Jordan have focused on women and youth, segments of the population the Institute believes critical to [the] success of reform,” Mr. Williamson said.
Kenneth Wollack, president of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), emphasized the importance of cooperation and collaboration among intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations and international financial institutions. “The promotion of democracy does not lend itself to unilateralism,” he said. Mr. Wollack highlighted NDI international programs, including the Global Action Plan to promote political party reforms that advance women’s leadership. He added that six women in Jordan “made history by becoming the first class of women to be elected to Parliament in recent elections.”
Testifying on behalf of Human Rights Watch, Washington Advocacy Director Tom Malinowski addressed the catastrophe in Darfur, saying that, despite assurances from the Sudanese president that Sudanese security forces would disarm the Janjaweed, these forces “continue to loot, rape and kill” in displacement camps. “Women and girls are raped by both government soldiers and Janjaweed, especially if they venture out of the camps for food or medicine,” he said. To stop the atrocities, Mr. Malinowski called for an international force supported by “a strong resolution or series of resolutions by the UN Security Council.”
