I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 606 
To express United States foreign policy with respect to, and to strengthen 
United States advocacy on behalf of, individuals persecuted and denied 
their rights in foreign countries on account of gender, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 16, 2009 
Mrs. MALONEY (for herself and Mr. FATTAH) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 
to the Committees on Financial Services and the Judiciary, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To express United States foreign policy with respect to, 
and to strengthen United States advocacy on behalf of, 
individuals persecuted and denied their rights in foreign 
countries on account of gender, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘International Women’s Freedom Act of 2009’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings; policy. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF STATE ACTIVITIES 
Sec. 101. Office on International Women’s Rights; Ambassador at Large for 
International Women’s Rights. 
Sec. 102. Reports. 
Sec. 103. Establishment of a women’s rights internet site. 
Sec. 104. Training for foreign service officers. 
Sec. 105. High-level contacts with nongovernmental organizations. 
Sec. 106. Programs and allocations of funds by United States missions abroad. 
Sec. 107. Prisoner lists and issue briefs on women’s rights concerns. 
TITLE II—COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS 
Sec. 201. Establishment and composition. 
Sec. 202. Duties of the Commission. 
Sec. 203. Powers of the Commission. 
Sec. 204. Commission personnel matters. 
Sec. 205. Reports of the Commission. 
Sec. 206. Applicability of other laws. 
Sec. 207. Standards of conduct and disclosure. 
Sec. 208. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 209. Termination. 
TITLE III—NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL 
Sec. 301. Special Adviser on International Women’s Rights. 
TITLE IV—PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS 
Subtitle A—Targeted Responses to Violations of Women’s Rights Abroad 
Sec. 401. Presidential actions in response to violations of women’s rights. 
Sec. 402. Presidential actions in response to particularly severe violations of 
women’s rights. 
Sec. 403. Consultations. 
Sec. 404. Report to Congress. 
Sec. 405. Description of Presidential actions. 
Sec. 406. Effects on existing contracts. 
Sec. 407. Presidential waiver. 
Sec. 408. Publication in Federal Register. 
Sec. 409. Termination of Presidential actions. 
Sec. 410. Preclusion of judicial review. 
Subtitle B—Strengthening Existing Law 
Sec. 421. United States assistance. 
Sec. 422. Multilateral assistance. 
Sec. 423. Exports of certain items used in particularly severe violations of wom-
en’s rights. 
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TITLE V—PROMOTION OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS 
Sec. 501. Assistance for promoting women’s rights. 
Sec. 502. International broadcasting. 
Sec. 503. International exchanges. 
Sec. 504. Foreign service awards. 
TITLE VI—REFUGEE, ASYLUM, AND CONSULAR MATTERS 
Sec. 601. Use of annual report. 
Sec. 602. Refugee training. 
Sec. 603. Reform of asylum policy. 
Sec. 604. Inadmissibility of foreign government officials who have engaged in 
particularly severe violations of women’s rights. 
Sec. 605. Study on the effect of expedited removal provisions on asylum claims. 
TITLE VII—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 701. Business codes of conduct. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; POLICY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) Support for human rights is the cornerstone 
of American foreign policy, and the advance of wom-
en’s rights and the advance of liberty are ultimately 
inseparable. 
(2) A number of international human rights in-
struments, as well as several international declara-
tions, have recognized the equal rights of men and 
women and articulated specific aspects of women’s 
human rights, including the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, the Charter of the United Nations, 
the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, 
Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the 
Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against 
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Women, the Inter-American Convention on the Pre-
vention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence 
Against Women, the Declaration on the Elimination 
of Violence against Women, and the Beijing Dec-
laration and Platform for Action. 
(3) Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights recognizes that ‘‘[a]ll human beings 
are born free and equal in dignity and rights’’, and 
article 7 recognizes that ‘‘[a]ll are equal before the 
law and are entitled without any discrimination to 
equal protection of the law’’. Article 3 of the Inter-
national Covenant on Civil and Political Rights rec-
ognizes that the State Parties to the Covenant ‘‘un-
dertake to ensure the equal right of men and women 
to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights set 
forth in the Covenant’’. Article 26 of the Covenant 
provides that ‘‘[a]ll persons are equal before the law 
and are entitled without any discrimination to the 
equal protection of the law. In this respect, the laws 
of each State Party shall prohibit any discrimination 
and guarantee to all persons equal and effective pro-
tection against discrimination on any ground such as 
race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other 
opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or 
other status’’. The Preamble of the Charter of the 
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United Nations affirms the equal rights of men and 
women. Governments have the responsibility to pro-
tect the fundamental rights of their citizens and to 
pursue justice for all. Women’s rights are funda-
mental rights, regardless of race, country, creed, or 
nationality, and should never be arbitrarily abridged 
by any government. 
(4) Barbaric treatment of women persists in 
many parts of the world. Women suffer both govern-
ment-sponsored and government-tolerated violations 
of their human rights. In countries where women are 
subject to particularly severe restrictions, women 
cannot work outside the home, cannot attend schools 
or universities, cannot drive, cannot leave the home 
without a male companion, may only use segregated 
transportation, cannot obtain a passport or travel 
without the permission of a male relative, must wear 
particular clothing, must black out house windows in 
public view, cannot obtain quality health education, 
and have limited access to health care because a 
male relative must be present or because male doc-
tors are not allowed to touch female patients. The 
‘‘In-depth study on all forms of violence against 
women’’ conducted by the Secretary General of the 
United Nations found that in many countries, wom-
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