Full Text of HR0021 97th General Assembly
HR0021 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are urging the federal government to seek | 4 | | passage of the United Nations treaty, the Convention on the | 5 | | Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of | 7 | | Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the | 8 | | United Nations General Assembly, is often described as an | 9 | | international bill of rights for women; consisting of a | 10 | | preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes | 11 | | discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national | 12 | | action to end such discrimination; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, The Convention defines discrimination against | 14 | | women as "any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the | 15 | | basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or | 16 | | nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, | 17 | | irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of | 18 | | men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the | 19 | | political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other | 20 | | field"; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, By accepting the Convention, States commit | 22 | | themselves to undertake a series of measures to end |
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| 1 | | discrimination against women in all forms, including:
to | 2 | | incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their | 3 | | legal system; to abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt | 4 | | appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women; to | 5 | | establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the | 6 | | effective protection of women against discrimination; and
to | 7 | | ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women | 8 | | by persons, organizations, or enterprises; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Advancing women's human rights worldwide is | 10 | | fundamental to America's national security interests and a | 11 | | cornerstone of the nation's foreign policy; ratification of the | 12 | | Convention would amplify the U.S. voice in defense of women and | 13 | | girls at a time when their rights, even their clothing, are a | 14 | | global battleground; it would send the strongest possible | 15 | | signal that America is back as an international team player on | 16 | | the one hand, while reasserting our proud bipartisan tradition | 17 | | of promoting and protecting human rights on the other; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Only seven of the United Nations' 193 member | 19 | | countries have not ratified the Convention: Iran, Sudan, | 20 | | Somalia, three small Pacific island countries (Nauru, Palau, | 21 | | and Tonga), and the United States; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, The Convention offers a practical blueprint for | 23 | | action that every country can use to make progress toward |
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| 1 | | ending discrimination; American women enjoy opportunities and | 2 | | status not available to most of the world's women, but few | 3 | | would dispute that more progress is needed, such as in ending | 4 | | domestic violence and closing the pay gap between men and | 5 | | women; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Convention would not lead to any automatic | 7 | | changes in U.S. law, and there is no additional cost; the | 8 | | treaty provides a framework for the continuing national | 9 | | dialogue on women's equality, as it does in every country; | 10 | | ratification of the Convention requires 67 United States Senate | 11 | | votes; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 13 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 14 | | we urge the Senate of the United States to ratify the | 15 | | Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination | 16 | | Against Women; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to United States President Barack Obama and the | 19 | | members of the Illinois Congressional delegation.
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