PRINTER'S NO. 2986
No. 369 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY HORSEY, YOUNGBLOOD, WASHINGTON, BISHOP, BARD, BEBKO-JONES, L. I. COHEN, DAILEY, FORCIER, HARHART, HERMAN, JOSEPHS, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER, MAJOR, MANDERINO, MANN, S. MILLER, MUNDY, ORIE, RUBLEY, SEYFERT, STEELMAN, E. Z. TAYLOR, TRUE, VANCE, WILLIAMS, CARN, EVANS, JAMES, KIRKLAND, MYERS, OLIVER, PRESTON, RAMOS, ROBINSON, ROEBUCK, THOMAS, WATERS, PISTELLA, SCRIMENTI, BELARDI, READSHAW, ROBERTS, PESCI, HERSHEY, FRANKEL, MICHLOVIC, DeWEESE, M. COHEN AND BELFANTI, FEBRUARY 15, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, FEBRUARY 15, 2000
A RESOLUTION 1 Calling on the President and the Congress of the United States 2 and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to amend the 3 guidelines regulating decisions made to grant asylum to women 4 and girls who have been a victim of or fear becoming a victim 5 of female genital mutilation against her will; calling on the 6 United Nations to take action against such injustices against 7 women and girls around the world; and calling on Immigration 8 Judge Donald Ferlise to grant asylum to Margareth Awiti. 9 WHEREAS, Female genital mutilation, also known as female 10 circumcision, is a recognized cultural belief practiced around 11 the world that involves the removal and/or alteration of various 12 parts of female genitalia; and 13 WHEREAS, "Sunna" circumcision, clitoridectomy and 14 infibulation are all recognized varieties of female genital 15 mutilation; and 16 WHEREAS, Female genital mutilation is practiced on girls and 17 women of every age from birth to death; and
1 WHEREAS, Female genital mutilation is usually performed in 2 unsanitary conditions using a variety of unclean instruments 3 from razor blades to broken glass without the use of anesthesia, 4 creating a great health risk of the spread of disease and other 5 infections; and 6 WHEREAS, An estimated 135 million of the world's girls and 7 women have undergone female genital mutilation, and 2 million 8 girls, approximately 6,000 per day, are at risk of mutilation; 9 and 10 WHEREAS, Female genital mutilation has been proven to cause 11 immediate physical illness, including pain, shock, hemorrhage, 12 damage to surrounding organs and possible HIV infection, long- 13 term physical complications, including chronic urinary tract 14 infections, reproductive tract infections, infertility and 15 dermoid cysts and feelings of anxiety, terror, humiliation and 16 betrayal; and 17 WHEREAS, Female genital mutilation is most commonly used as a 18 means of controlling women through reducing desire for sexual 19 activity, therefore increasing fidelity within the marital 20 arrangement; and 21 WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States has recognized 22 female genital mutilation as a health risk to women and girls 23 and has prohibited its practice in the United States in section 24 116 of Title 18 of the United States Code; and 25 WHEREAS, Female genital mutilation violates the inherent 26 rights of all women and girls as protected under section 1 of 27 Article I of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, which states: 28 "All men are born equally free and independent, and have 29 certain inherent and indefeasible rights, among which are 30 those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of 20000H0369R2986 - 2 -
1 acquiring, possessing and protecting property and 2 reputation, and of pursuing their own happiness" 3 ; and 4 WHEREAS, California, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, North 5 Dakota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin have each 6 addressed the issue of female genital mutilation through their 7 respective state legislative powers; and 8 WHEREAS, Organizations like Amnesty International, the World 9 Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund 10 (UNICEF), the Feminist Majority Foundation and the National 11 Organization for Women have made female genital mutilation a 12 priority among the many issues on their advocacy priority lists; 13 and 14 WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the United Nations has 15 proclaimed in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Section 16 2: 17 "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set 18 forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any 19 kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, 20 political or other opinion, national or social origin, 21 property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no 22 distinction shall be made on the basis of the political 23 jurisdictional or international status of the country or 24 territory to which a person belongs, whether it be 25 independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other 26 limitation of sovereignty" 27 ; and 28 WHEREAS, Fauziya Kasinga in 1996 and Adelaide Abankwan in 29 1999 were granted asylum for fear of female genital mutilation 30 or repercussions thereof; therefore be it 20000H0369R2986 - 3 -
1 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 2 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania call on the President and the 3 Congress of the United States and the Immigration and 4 Naturalization Service to amend any and all guidelines and/or 5 regulations addressing petitions for asylum to reflect language 6 that recognizes refugees of both genders and also recognizes the 7 need for women and girls to escape the horrors and fear of 8 female genital mutilation; and be it further 9 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call on the 10 United Nations to continue to take action against female genital 11 mutilation through any and all available outlets; and be it 12 further 13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call on 14 Immigration Judge Donald Ferlise to grant asylum to Margareth 15 Awiti, a current resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 16 who escaped Tanzania at the age of 10, with the assistance of 17 her mother, to avoid being circumcised and who now faces being 18 returned to her late husband's family and having female genital 19 mutilation forced upon her as an adult; and be it further 20 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 21 the President of the United States, the Secretary of State of 22 the United States, the presiding officers of each house of 23 Congress, the United States Senators from Pennsylvania, the head 24 of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the presiding 25 officer of the United Nations and Immigration Judge Donald 26 Ferlise. B4L82SFL/20000H0369R2986 - 4 -