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Committee Recognizes Women in the Middle East and North Africa

On April 14, the Senate approved, by voice vote, a resolution (S. Res. 109) recognizing the role women in the Middle East and North Africa played in recent democratic upheavals in the region. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the measure on April 12.

Sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the resolution honors and supports “women in North Africa and the Middle East whose bravery, compassion, and commitment to putting the wellbeing of others before their own have proven that courage can be contagious.” The resolution’s findings include:

  • In the course of peaceful protests in countries throughout North Africa and the Middle East, women have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with men to advance their rights;
  • Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said, “The rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st Century”;
  • In late December 2010 and January 2011, Tunisia underwent a political upheaval, dubbed the “Jasmine Revolution,” resulting in the fleeing of the President of Tunisia…from the country on January 14, 2011;
  • One of the first voices of the “Jasmine Revolution” was the sister of Mohammad Bouazizi, the young man whose death led to many of the peaceful protests in Tunisia;
  • Huge crowds came out to protest peacefully in Egypt, and women were among those that faced tear gas and who pitched their tents and slept in the cold in Tahrir Square;
  • Hundreds of women took part in a rally in Cairo on March 8, 2011, the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day, to remind women in Egypt that they must have a voice in their nation’s future;
  • According to press reports, women are among the leaders of demonstrations calling for reform in Yemen; and
  • Women, young and old, have marched in the streets of countries from Tunisia to Iran demanding freedom from oppression.

The resolution, among other provisions, “celebrates this year’s centennial anniversary of International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future, and a day to recognize the obstacles that women still face in the struggle for equal rights and opportunities” and “underscores the vital importance of women’s rights and political participation as leaders in North Africa and the Middle East consider constitutional reforms and shape new governments.”