On March 11, the House passed, by voice vote, H. Res. 194, a resolution supporting the goals of International Women’s Day. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), states that the House “recognizes and honors the women in the United States and in other countries who have fought and continue to struggle for equality in the face of adversity” and “reaffirms its commitment to ending discrimination and violence against women and girls, to ensuring the safety and welfare of women and girls, and to pursuing policies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls both in the United States and in other countries.” The resolution also encourages President Obama to “reaffirm his commitment to pursue policies to protect fundamental human rights and civil liberties, particularly those of women and girls” and “issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe International Women’s Day with appropriate programs and activities.”
In a statement, Rep. Schakowsky said, “I would like to thank Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK), the lead Republican co-sponsor, and the Republican Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus for her tireless support and work to bring this resolution to the House floor. It has been a pleasure working with her on this bill and I am sure this bill is the first of many that we will work on together through the Caucus to advance the goals of women. Also, I would also like to acknowledge the Caucus Vice Chairs, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX). I am honored to have this resolution to be the first of our must pass legislative agenda items to make it to the House floor with such remarkable bipartisan support…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 continue to do so.”
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) emphasized that the resolution “provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the important contributions to all levels of society and social advancement of women around the globe.” Rep. Smith also discussed several areas of women’s welfare “in critical need of improvement,” including human trafficking, stating, “Much work remains to be done if we are to eliminate this scourge. Too much demand, enabled by crass indifference, unbridled hedonism and misogynistic attitudes, has turned women and girls into objects, valued only for their utility in the brothel or in the sweatshop. Society has helped perpetuate this heinous crime by failing to utilize all the means at our disposal to combat it.”
