On September 28, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a substitute amendment to the North Korea Human Rights Act (H.R. 4011). The House approved the measure on July 21 (see The Source, 7/23/04), but must now consider the Senate substitute.
Sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), the substitute would authorize $100 million annually through FY2008 for humanitarian assistance and the expansion of the World Food Program into North Korea. H.R. 4011 would provide $2 million for grants to private, nonprofit organizations promoting human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and the development of a market economy in North Korea. Under the bill, grants could be authorized for “appropriate educational and cultural exchange programs with North Korean participants.”
According to the bill, “North Korean women and girls, particularly those who have fled into China, are at risk of being kidnapped, trafficked, and sexually exploited inside China, where many are sold as brides or concubines, or forced to work as prostitutes.” The measure also states that “according to credible reports, including eyewitness testimony provided to the United States Congress, North Korean Government officials prohibit live births in prison camps, and forced abortion and the killing of newborn babies are standard prison practices.” The measure would provide $20 million for humanitarian and legal assistance to North Korean refugees, orphans, and women who are victims of trafficking. H.R. 4011 also would set guidelines for determining refugee status and asylum eligibility for North Koreans.
Sen. Brownback said that the North Korea Human Rights Act “brings into focus a United States Government position on North Korean human rights abuses, which are extensive, probably the worst human rights abuses in the world. It is at least in the top two or three, and that is saying something when you consider what is taking place in the Sudan and Iran. North Korea lost 10 percent of its population in the last 10 years to starvation. We think they have something around 150,000 people, maybe more, in the gulag system, political prisoners. There is trafficking of individuals taking place within that country. They are counterfeiting money. They are drug running. This is a criminal enterprise that is taking place.”
