IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 300
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding so-called ‘‘honor killings’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 8, 2003
Mr. NADLER submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding so-called 
‘‘honor killings’’.
Whereas thousands of women around the world are killed and 
maimed each year in the name of family ‘‘honor’’; 
Whereas the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, 
56th Session, January 2000, working with the Special 
Rapporteurs on violence against women and extrajudicial, 
summary, or arbitrary executions, received reports of so-
called ‘‘honor killings’’ from numerous countries, and 
noted that such killings take many forms, such as flog-
ging, forced suicide, stoning, beheading, acid throwing, 
and burning; 
Whereas according ‘‘crimes of honor’’ include acid throwing 
and whipping of women accused of moral indiscretion;
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Whereas thousands of women and girls are stabbed, burned, 
or maimed every year by husbands, fathers, and brothers 
who accuse them of dishonoring their family by being un-
faithful, seeking a divorce, or refusing an arranged mar-
riage; 
Whereas women accused of adultery are subject to a max-
imum penalty of death by stoning in numerous countries; 
Whereas even though ‘‘honor killings’’ may be outlawed, law 
enforcement and judicial systems often fail to properly 
investigate, arrest, and prosecute offenders and laws fre-
quently permit reduction in sentences or exemptions from 
prosecution for those who ‘‘kill in the name of honor’’ 
typically resulting in a token punishment, impunity, and 
continued violence against women; and 
Whereas the right to exist is the most fundamental of all 
rights and must be guaranteed to every individual with-
out discrimination, and the perpetuation of ‘‘honor 
killings’’ and dowry deaths is a deliberate violation of 
women’s human rights that should be universally con-
demned: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the United States, through the United 
States 
Agency 
for 
International 
Development, 
should—
(A) work with foreign law enforcement and 
judicial agencies to enact legal system reforms 
to more effectively address the investigation and 
prosecution of so-called ‘‘honor crimes’’; and
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(B) make resources available to local orga-
nizations to provide refuge and rehabilitation 
for women who are victims of ‘‘honor crimes’’ 
and the children of such women; 
(2) the Department of State, when preparing 
yearly Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 
should include—
(A) information relating to the incidence of 
‘‘honor violence’’ in foreign countries; 
(B) the steps taken by foreign govern-
ments to address the problem of ‘‘honor vio-
lence’’; and 
(C) all relevant actions taken by the 
United States, whether through diplomacy or 
foreign assistance programs, to reduce the inci-
dence of ‘‘honor violence’’ and to increase inves-
tigations and prosecutions of such crimes; 
(3) the United States should communicate to 
the United Nations its concern over the high rate of 
honor-related violence toward women worldwide and 
request that the appropriate United Nations bodies, 
in consultation with relevant nongovernmental orga-
nizations, propose actions to be taken to encourage 
these countries to demonstrate strong efforts to end 
such violence; and
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(4) the President and the Secretary of State 
should communicate directly with leaders of coun-
tries where ‘‘honor killings’’, dowry deaths, and re-
lated practices are endemic, in order to convey the 
Nation’s most serious concerns over these gross vio-
lations of human rights and urge these leaders to in-
vestigate and prosecute all such acts as murder, with 
the appropriate penalties.
Æ