Recognizing International Women's Day

RECOGNIZING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY -- (Extensions of Remarks - March 13, 2007)

* Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker. I rise today to recognize International Women's Day and to enter into the RECORD an article by Edith M. Lederer appearing today in the Washington Post, entitled ``U.N. Seeks End to Violence Against Girls.'

* Throughout the world, violence against women appears to be acceptable. According to a 1997 World Health Organization study, in her lifetime, one in five women will be a victim of rape or an attempted rape. A separate 2003 report has shown that 147 women are raped every day in South Africa. According to the same study, in the U.S. a woman is raped every 90 seconds.

* Darfur presents one of the most extreme examples of violence against women in the world. Currently, rape is used systematically against women in this region of Sudan. While it is impossible to know exactly how many women have been victims of sexual violence since the armed conflict began; however, it is believed that thousands of women have been raped, many multiple times. The devastating effects of rape are ever lasting. Victims are pariahs in their families and their communities. Women, in the Sudan, and in many places throughout the world cannot file complaints against their attackers because no one cares or takes the time to listen.

* Sexual violence against women is not limited to the Sudan. Since the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire began in 2002, thousands of women and girls have become victims of widespread, systematic rape committed by combatant forces or their civilian allies. Many women have been sexually tortured, gang-raped or abducted and reduced to sexual slavery by combatants. These women have little recourse or access to health care, counseling or other support services.

* The single most important factor that allows violence against women to persist, whether in times of peace or war, is the fact that those who attack and rape women know that they can get away with it. I support International Women's Day and its efforts to bring much needed attention to this critical issue. [From the Associated Press, Mar. 8, 2007]

U.N. SEEKS END TO VIOLENCE AGAINST GIRLS
(By Edith M. Lederer)

UNITED NATIONS.--On the eve of International Women's Day, the U.N. Security Council called Wednesday for an end to the ``pervasive violence' against girls and women during armed conflicts and demanded that the perpetrators be punished.

The council reiterated ``its utmost condemnation' of the killing, maiming, sexual abuse, abduction and trafficking of girls and women and called on all warring parties to protect them, especially from rape and other forms of sexual violence.

In a presidential statement read at a formal meeting, the council emphasized the responsibility of all 192 U.N. member states ``to put an end to impunity and to prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes including those relating to sexual and other violence against women and girls.'

The theme of International Women's Day on Thursday and the two-week meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women that ends Friday is discrimination and violence against girls--and ending the impunity for perpetrators.

Rachel Mayanja, the special adviser to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on gender issues and the advancement of women, told a news conference that girls and women are subjected to violence every day in every country--and the violence ``transcends politics, culture and religion, race, class, income and age.

``In order to eliminate violence against women and girls, we must take swift and concerted action to eradicate all forms of discrimination against them, and ensure women's equality with men,' she said.

Noeleen Heyzer, executive director of the U.N. Development Fund for Women, said the U.N. Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women has granted more than $13 million to more than 230 initiatives in more than 100 countries over the last 10 years and demonstrated ``that ending violence against women is possible.'

``It is a pandemic that can be stopped ..... given the necessary political will and resources,' she said.

Heyzer said currently 89 countries have legislative provisions on domestic violence, 104 countries have made marital rape a crime, 90 countries have provisions against sexual harassment, and 93 states prohibit trafficking of women and men.

The number of countries adopting legislation against violence is growing, she said, but implementation of the laws ``is often insufficient.'

Heyzer urged ``a real increase in resources if we are to end impunity,' including nearly tripling the trust fund's annual budget from the current $3.5 million to $10 million.

In Wednesday's statement, the Security Council also urged the secretary-general to appoint more women as top envoys in U.N. peacekeeping and peace-building missions, in decision-making positions in U.N. field operations, and especially among military observers, civilian police, human rights and humanitarian staff.

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