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
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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
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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.
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