A resolution supporting the goals of International Women's Day.

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 100 Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 9, 2021 Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. MURPHY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day. Whereas, as of March 2021, there are approximately 3,803,000,000 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 com- munities; (3) contribute substantially to food security, eco- nomic 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 eco- nomic lives of their communities; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 100 IS 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 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 Secu- rity 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 nego- tiations and conflict prevention overseas, enhanced train- ing for relevant United States Government personnel, and follow-up evaluations of the effectiveness of the strat- egy; 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 po- tential among the world’s women and girls to identify, recommend, and implement effective solutions to con- VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 100 IS flict’’, and there are ‘‘benefits derived from creating op- portunities 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 ef- forts ‘‘include under-representation in political leadership, pervasive violence against women and girls, and per- sistent inequality in many societies’’; Whereas, according to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (commonly re- ferred 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 In- stitute, a peace agreement is 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years if women participate in the develop- ment of the peace agreement; 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 iden- tifying 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 100 IS State, the full and meaningful participation of women in criminal justice professions and security forces vastly en- hances the effectiveness of the security forces; Whereas, despite the contributions of women to society, hun- dreds 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 protec- tions, and remain vulnerable to exploitation and abuse; Whereas, every year, approximately 12,000,000 girls are mar- ried 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 high- est rates of child marriage are considered fragile or ex- tremely fragile; Whereas, according to the International Labour Organiza- tion, 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 have been victims of some form of physical vio- lence; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 100 IS (2) approximately 120,000,000 girls worldwide, slightly more than 1 in 10, have experienced forced sex- ual 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’’, from 2003 to 2018, 72 percent of all detected trafficking victims were 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 Glob- ally’’, 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 for- eign policy; and (4) works to bring about a world in which all indi- viduals 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 em- powerment of women and girls’’; Whereas, despite the achievements of individual female lead- ers 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •SRES 100 IS relative state of peace of a country, a healthier domestic security environment, and lower levels of aggression to- ward other countries— (1) women around the world remain vastly underrep- resented in— (A) national and local legislatures and govern- ments; and (B) other high-level positions; and (2) according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women account for only 25 percent of national parlia- mentarians 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 po- litical and social stability; Whereas the overall level of violence against women is a bet- ter predictor of the peacefulness of a country, the compli- ance 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 sec- ondary education, and particularly in secondary education worldwide as gender gaps persist and widen, by address- ing— (1) discriminatory practices; (2) harmful cultural and social norms; (3) inadequate sanitation facilities, including facili- ties to manage menstruation; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •SRES 100 IS (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, Sci- entific and Cultural Organization— (1) approximately 132,000,000 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 primary 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 con- straints 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 essen- tial 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 ac- cess to registration, identification, and citizenship docu- ments, and freedom of movement; (4) access to formal and informal education; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •SRES 100 IS (5) access to, and equal protection under, land and property rights; (6) access to fundamental labor rights; (7) the implementation of policies to address dis- proportionate 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 Entrepre- neurship 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 eco- nomic, social, political, educational, and cultural re- sources, as well as wealth, opportunities, and services; (2) to strive to eliminate gender-based violence and mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and commu- nities, 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •SRES 100 IS (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 edu- cation, particularly higher education opportunities in business, finance, and management, in order to enhance financial literacy and business development, management, and strategy skills; Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, global maternal mortality decreased by approximately 44 per- cent 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 per- cent of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries; Whereas, according to the United Nations, 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 Commis- sioner for Refugees reports that women and girls com- prise 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, in- cluding those subject to forced displacement, face in- creased and exacerbated vulnerabilities to— VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR100.IS SR100 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •SRES 100 IS (1) gender-based violence, including rape, child mar- riage, domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation and assault; (2) disruptions in education and livelihood; (3) lack of access to health services; and (4) food insecurity and malnutrition; Whereas malnutrition poses a variety of [Text truncated for display. 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