I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2231
Concerning international women’s human rights.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 20, 1993
Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Mr. BERMAN) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
Concerning international women’s human rights.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Human
Rights Protection Act of 1993’’.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION.
The Congress makes the following findings and dec-
larations:
(1) It is the sense of Congress that the State
Department should designate within the appropriate
bureau a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary
to promote international women’s human rights
within the overall human rights policy of the United
States Government.
(2) The purpose of assigning a special assistant
on women’s human rights issues is not to segregate
such issues, but rather to assure that they are con-
sidered along with other human rights issues in the
development of United States foreign policy.
(3) A specifically designated special assistant is
necessary because within the human rights field and
the foreign policy establishment, the issues of gen-
der-based discrimination and violence against women
have long been ignored or made invisible.
(4) The Congress believes that abuses against
women would have greater visibility and protection
of women’s human rights would improve if the advo-
cate were responsible for integrating women’s
human rights issues into United States human
rights policy in ways including, but not limited to,
the following:
(A) The designated women’s human rights
advocate would seek to assure that the issue of
abuses against women, along with human rights
issues generally, are a factor in determining ap-
propriate recipients for United States bilateral
assistance as well as United States votes at the
multilateral development banks.
(B) The advocate would work with the re-
gional bureaus of the Department of State to
devise strategies for the executive branch to
bring pressure to bear on governments that en-
gage in violence or systematic discrimination
against women or fail to afford equal treatment
of women before the law.
(C) The advocate would, in consultation
with the bureau responsible for international or-
ganizations, pursue strategies to increase the
visibility and integration of gender-based perse-
cution and violence in multilateral fora includ-
ing, but not limited to, the United States Com-
mission on Human Rights and the Working
Group on Torture.
(D) The advocate would seek to assure
that the United States Trade Representative
conduct inquiries and take steps to prevent
countries from receiving trade benefits under
the Generalized System of Preferences and
most favored nation status where governments
fail to address violence, systematic discrimina-
tion, and exploitation of women workers.
(E) The advocate would seek to assure
that the protection of women’s human rights,
including womens’ participation in the political
process, women’s right to freedom of associa-
tion and expression, and freedom from discrimi-
nation, would be addressed in the context of
United States funded programs in the area of
democracy including, but not limited to, democ-
racy programs at the Agency for International
Development (AID), democracy programs for
Eastern Europe funded by the Support Eastern
European Democracy (SEED) legislation, and
new programs that may be contemplated.
(F) The advocate would seek to assure
that United States assistance programs in the
area of administration of justice include efforts
to redress violations of women’s rights.
(G) The advocate would work with AID
and the appropriate office at the Department of
State to secure funding for programs to meet
the needs of women victims of human rights
abuses including, but not limited to, medical
and psychological assistance for rape victims.
(H) The advocate would work to assure
United States ratification of the United Nations
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and
oversee the preparation of reports pursuant to
that Convention.
(I) The advocate would seek to upgrade
the quality and quantity of information about
abuses of women’s human rights in the report-
ing from United States embassies overseas, in-
corporate that information not only in the State
Department 
Country 
Reports 
on 
Human
Rights, but also in other public statements and
documents including, but not limited to, con-
gressional testimony and private demarches.
SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
(a) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall sub-
mit a report to the Congress on the steps taken to create
the position described in section 2 or to otherwise fulfill
the objectives detailed in that section.
(b) UNITED STATES RATIFICATION OF CEDAW.—
If the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
has not been submitted to the Senate for ratification, not
more than 90 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the