CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about International
Women's Day. International Women's Day is an occasion to honor and
praise women for their accomplishments and to celebrate women who are
making a difference, both here in America and around the world. Already
this year, we have seen advances for women in the United States. In
January, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that women
in the military can now join their male colleagues on the front line.
America's military is the greatest in the world and it has been made
stronger with the promise of equal opportunity for women and men. Last
month, we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, which provides
victims of domestic violence with the services they desperately need.
We need to ensure that women across the world, not just in the United
States, have the same liberty to determine the scope of their own lives
and futures. Unfortunately, in far too many nations women face
extraordinary obstacles. A woman's ability to earn a sustained income
is severely limited by
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cultural norms and lack of opportunity, which explains why women
represent nearly 70 percent of the world's poor. And if extreme poverty
and destitution weren't enough, women around the world are under
attack. Worldwide, 1 in 3 women will experience some form of violence
in her lifetime. Women and girls in emergencies, conflict settings, and
natural disasters often face extreme violence. The World Health
Organization has reported that up to 70 percent of women in some
countries describe having been victims of domestic violence at some
stage in their lives.
When we discuss the issues of poverty and violence against women, we
cannot think of them in isolation. They work in tandem, feeding off of
one another. Violence against women and girls is both a major
consequence and cause of poverty; the two go hand-in-hand. Violence
prevents women and girls from getting an education, going to work, and
earning the income they need to lift themselves and their families out
of poverty.
I believe in the power of women to change the world, and empowering
women is one of the most critical tools in our tool box to fight
poverty and injustice. Integrating the unique needs of women into our
domestic and international policies is critical. Decades of research
and experience prove that when women are able to be fully engaged in
society and hold decisionmaking power, they are more likely to invest
their income in food, clean water, education, and health care for their
children. Investment in women creates a positive cycle of change that
lifts women, families, and entire communities out of poverty.
In January, President Obama issued a memorandum on the coordination
of policies and programs to promote gender equality and empower women
globally. This memo recognizes that coordinating gender equality and
empowering women is critical to effective international assistance
across all sectors such as food security, health care, governance,
climate change, and science and technology.
Our Nation has the potential to be a true leader in empowering women
across the globe, ending gender-based discrimination in all forms, and
ending violence against women and girls worldwide. And on this
International Women's Day, let us join together to continue to fight
for the rights of women both at home and abroad.
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