Bill Text: NJ AR264 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Recognizes March 8, 2020 as "International Women's Day" in New Jersey.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-08-23 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Women and Children Committee [AR264 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR264-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Recognizes March 8, 2020 as "International Women's Day" in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution recognizing March 8, 2020 as "International Women's Day" in New Jersey.
Whereas, "International Women's Day" commemorates the role of ordinary women in making a difference in history, and is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men; and
Whereas, In 1910, at an international meeting in Copenhagen with over 100 women present from 17 countries, "Women's Day" was established to honor the movement for women's rights and assist in achieving universal suffrage for women; and
Whereas, As a result of a decision made at the Copenhagen meeting, "International Women's Day" was designated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19, 1911; and
Whereas, On that day more than one million women and men attended rallies concerning not only the right to vote and hold public office, but also the right to work, to vocational training and an end to job discrimination; and
Whereas, As of March 2017, there are more than 3,672,000,000 women in the world; and
Whereas, Women around the world have the fundamental right to participate in the political, social, and economic lives of their communities, play a critical role in providing and caring for their families, contribute substantially to economic growth and the prevention and resolution of conflict, and as farmers and caregivers, play an important role in the advancement of food security for their communities; and
Whereas, 2020 marks the 25nd anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, at which 189 countries committed to integrating gender equality into each dimension of society, and the 7th anniversary of the establishment of the first United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security; and
Whereas, The National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security includes a comprehensive set of commitments by the United States to advance the meaningful participation of women in decision making relating to matters of war or peace; and
Whereas, The plan states that "[d]eadly conflicts can be more effectively avoided, and peace can be best forged and sustained, when women become equal partners in all aspects of peacebuilding and conflict prevention, when their lives are protected, their voices heard, and their perspectives taken into account."; and
Whereas, Currently, 63 national action plans have been implemented around the world, and several additional plans are known to be in development; and
Whereas, The joint strategy of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development entitled "Department of State & USAID Joint Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism" notes that women can play a critical role in identifying and addressing drivers of violent extremism in their families, communities, and broader society; and
Whereas, The joint strategy commits to supporting programs that engage women as key stakeholders in preventing and countering violent extremism in their communities; and
Whereas, Despite the historical underrepresentation of women in conflict resolution processes, women in conflict-affected regions have nevertheless achieved significant success in moderating violent extremism, countering terrorism, resolving disputes through nonviolent mediation and negotiation, and stabilizing societies by improving access to peace and security; and
Whereas, According to the United Nations, peace negotiations are more likely to end in a peace agreement when women's groups play an influential role in the negotiation process; and
Whereas, A study by the International Peace Institute, shows that a peace agreement is thirty-five percent more likely to last at least 15 years if women participate in the development of the peace agreement; and
Whereas, Approximately 15,000,000 girls are married every year before they reach the age of 18, which means that 41,000 girls are married every day or one girl is married every two seconds; and
Whereas, According to UNICEF, twenty-five percent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are victims of physical violence, and it is estimated that one in three women around the world has experienced some form of physical or sexual violence; and
Whereas, 603,000,000 women live in countries in which domestic violence is not criminalized, and approximately fifty percent of the 65,300,00 refugees, internally displaced, or displaced persons in the world are women and children; and
Whereas, The 2016 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime entitled "Global Report on Trafficking in Persons" states that seventy-nine percent of all detected trafficking victims are women and children; and
Whereas, While trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor are the most prominently detected forms of trafficking, the trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of forced marriage is emerging as a more prevalent form of trafficking; and
Whereas, The ability of women and girls to realize their full potential is critical for a country to achieve strong and lasting economic growth political and social stability; and
Whereas, Women around the world are more likely to manage households or engage in agricultural work than men and have access to fewer income earning opportunities; and
Whereas, This inequity makes women more vulnerable to economic insecurity caused by natural disasters and long term changes in weather patterns; and
Whereas,
Violence, discrimination, and harmful practices against
women and girls are a direct result of negative social norms that undervalue
females in society; and
Whereas, It is imperative to alleviate violence and discrimination against women and to afford women every opportunity to be full and productive members of their communities; and
Whereas, March 8th of every year is recognized as "International Women's Day" all over the globe to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women in the past, present, and future and highlight the obstacles women face in their struggle for equal rights and gender equality; and
Whereas, "International Women's Day" is a time to reflect on the progress made in women's rights and reaffirm the world's commitment to end discrimination and violence against women and girls, pursue strategies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls both Statewide and throughout the globe, promote meaningful and significant participation of women in every aspect of society and community, and support policy initiatives that seek to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House hereby recognizes March 8, 2020 as "International Women's Day" in New Jersey in order to reflect on the progress made in women's rights, reaffirm the world's commitment to end discrimination and violence against women and girls, pursue strategies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls both Statewide and throughout the globe, promote meaningful and significant participation of women in every aspect of society and community, and support policy initiatives that seek to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women.
2. The Governor is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and the citizens of this State to observe "International Women's Day" with appropriate activities and programs.
STATEMENT
This resolution recognizes March 8, 2020 as "International Women's Day" in New Jersey in order to reflect on the progress made in women's rights, reaffirm the world's commitment to end discrimination and violence against women and girls, pursue strategies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls both Statewide and throughout the globe, promote meaningful and significant participation of women in every aspect of society and community, and support policy initiatives that seek to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women.
