Nita Lowey: “Thousands of women are maimed or killed each year in nations across the developing world because they have committed…”

“Thousands of women are maimed or killed each year in nations across the developing world because they have committed what their relatives or neighbors perceive as a crime of honor. I have met with some of these women who have had acid thrown in their faces, who clearly are maimed, because in someone's eyes they did wrong. Whether their supposed offense is adultery, the desire for a divorce, refusing an arranged marriage, or having the nerve to fetch a lower-than-expected dowry, the punishment is always swift, severe, and outrageous. Throughout the world women face flogging, forced suicides, stoning, beheading, burning, and other violent punishments for their actions. Rarely does anyone from the community offer to help. Even local government officials turn a blind eye to this terrible practice. This amendment highlights how very important it is to do more to stop honor killings around the world. Shining a flashlight on this practice, putting the full moral weight of the United States behind a campaign to end it, is critical if we are going to ensure the fundamental human rights of women. We simply must do more to stop these cowardly attacks. I urge Members to vote yes.”