- women worldwide participate in diplomacy and politics, contribute to the growth of economics, and improve the quality of lives of their families communities, and countries;
- according to the Congressional Research Service and the Department of State, illegal trafficking in women and children for forced labor, domestic servitude, or sexual exploitation involves between 1 million and 2 million women and children each year, of whom 50,000 are transported into the United States; and
- March 8 of each year has been known as ‘International Women’s Day; for the last century, and is a day on which people, often divided by ethnicity, language, culture, and income, come together to celebrate a common struggle for women’s equality, justice, and peace.The sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), stated that “as the vice chair of the Women’s Caucus, I am honored to have this resolution be the first of our top five priority agenda items to make it to the House floor with such remarkable bipartisan support under the leadership of the chairwomen, Lois Capps and Cathy McMorris Rodgers.” Highlighting the progress women have made in political leadership, Rep. Schakowsky noted, “In the 110th Congress, we have an all-time high of 74 women in Congress, a 35 percent increase from just 8 years ago. However, women still make up only 16 percent of the House of Representatives.” After pointing out challenges that still remain for women in business, education, and human rights, she concluded, “Hopefully, the passage of this critical resolution will help raise awareness of the work we need to do and will help women continue to overcome the overwhelming obstacles that are still left to be overcome. We must make a commitment to invest in women. Women contribute to the growth of economies and improve the quality of the lives of their families, the health of their communities and their Nations. We have won many battles for equality and justice for women worldwide, and we can do it. The passage of this resolution puts us, the United States House of Representatives, firmly on the side of women who are seeking gender equality across the world, and I urge its passage.”
Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, said that, with the passage of the resolution, “the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues is passing the first item on its must-pass agenda list for the 110th Congress. What a fitting way that we begin this session and acknowledge the importance of International Women’s Day and the significance of it in our country and around the world.” She continued, “As we look around this world and we look here at home, we see that women are reaching the highest levels of power in many parts of the world and with our own country as well…At the same time, today, women remain around the world and here in this country more likely to live in poverty, lack education, be victimized by violence than ever before.” Rep. Capps applauded the efforts of women in Afghanistan and “grassroots networking” for women to women microloans that give “women the opportunity to become self-sufficient for themselves and their families,” adding, “So as we become that role model for so many democracies around the world in so many emerging democracies, as we see that we have challenges facing our women in this country, let us celebrate then International Women’s Day this Thursday making a firmer commitment to improving the lives of women here in the United States and throughout this world.”
Calling International Women’s Day “a day of recognition and celebration of the contributions and social advancement of women,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) stated, “We must all advance the cause of human dignity by ending violence against women and girls, by protecting their fundamental freedoms and civil liberties, and promoting their genuine welfare through robust educational and economic opportunities…I ask my colleagues to render their full support to this important measure.”
In a statement submitted for the record, Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) said, “I rise today to support the goals of International Women’s Day. This is a day that not only recognizes the struggles women and girls have faced and continue to face throughout the world, but also celebrates their significant advancements and achievements. Rep. Biggert explained, “Founded in the United States in the early 1900’s, International Women’s Day has grown to be recognized throughout the world each year on March 8th: from Australia, to Singapore, to Afghanistan, to Chile. This year alone, there are 269 International Women’s Day events scheduled around the globe, with 44 occurring in the United States.” Noting legislative successes such as “securing the right to vote in 1920; passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963; Title IX in 1972; and the Violence Against Women Act in 1994,” she stated, “Despite these significant achievements, women in the United States and throughout the world still face obstacles to full equality. Women and girls are more likely to be illiterate, impoverished and a victim of domestic violence. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State estimates that every year, 800,000 to 900,000 people are victims of trafficking –most of them are women and girls…It is important to recognize and celebrate the obstacles women have surmounted on the road to equality. Additionally, I hope to bring attention to the inequalities that we still face, so that we can continue to break down gender barriers in the hope that we can one day eradicate gender inequality.”
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) said, “International Women’s Day is a day on which we reaffirm the commitment to the struggle by women worldwide for peace, justice, and equality before the law. We also take this opportunity to recognize how far we have come since the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in the United States in 1909 when American women were still fighting for the right to vote and a role in the political process. Today we are able to celebrate the many accomplishments by women worldwide in the areas of health, science, education and politics. In the past year, we have seen the appointment of our first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. President Bush’s cabinet now includes a record number of women Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, and Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters. Women now comprise a record percentage of the 110th Congress, including 16 senators and 71 representatives.”
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