Press conference to release the State of the World’s Mothers 2003 and introduce the Women and Children in Armed Conflict Protection Act of 2003
Capitol Hill, Washington, DC
May 6, 2003
As the mother of three wonderful children – three boys, I am thankful that they received a good start in life. They had good doctors. Quality education. An abundance of career opportunities.
And their childhoods were relatively peaceful. They had freedom to play. Freedom to travel. Freedom from exploitation.
Along with the indescribable rewards of motherhood come significant challenges – even when basic needs are met. The One Wish of every mother, whether she is from Afghanistan or Alabama, Iraq or Indiana – is to provide the best for her children.
Yet, as we have heard today, tens of millions of mothers in conflict-ridden countries are struggling for daily survival, desperately seeking protection from violence and exploitation for their children.
Let me tell you about a country I know about, Nepal. In 1995, I traveled there with Dr. MacCormack and Save the Children, before going on to be part of their delegation to the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing. I was profoundly moved by the experiences of the women I met. I visited a midnight literacy class run by Save the Children, where young women’s desire to read led them to walk two hours each way to attend the class. Imagine, two hours each way!
I witnessed women receiving prenatal health care, in a country where pregnancy and childbirth is a death sentence for far too many.
I spoke with women who had banded together to start a small business. These women were making extraordinary efforts so their children could have a better life. And Save the Children was working to ensure their success.
Today, the situation in Nepal is much different. The land of peace, beauty and promise is beset by war, fear and death. A country now controlled by security forces fighting Maoist guerillas committed to a violent revolution. Fear is the currency of the countryside.
Today, there are already over 8,000 dead, including many women and children. Each of these numbers represents human lives and dreams destroyed.
Many women and children in rural Nepal have had their lives ruined by this war. Many are killed, left homeless, children have lost parents, and women are at risk of trafficking or sex work because there is no one else to provide for their families. 12- and 13-year olds have fled their villages, fearful for being forced into military servitude. In Nepal today, there are far too few places left where it is safe to be a child.
Yet this war – like most of the 40 conflicts in Save the Children’s report – seldom, if ever, makes the headlines or receives the attention needed.
Save the Children is doing its best to mitigate the damage – to help communities keep their schools open, to ensure that children are seen as “zones of peace”, to provide counseling for the children affected by violence, to reunite children with their families, to identify children most in need of direct assistance, to provide economic opportunities to women widowed by the conflict, and to use the media and key leaders to spread words of tolerance and peace within a society at war.
What can we do? Well, Save the Children has launched its One World, One Wish campaign to raise awareness and expand funding for its protection programs in Nepal and in five other conflict zones. I urge you to visit their website at www.savethechildren.org to learn how to get involved.
Senator Biden, Senator Feinstein, and Congresswoman Nita Lowey, among others, have introduced this critical piece of legislation, which if passed, will do much to help protect women and children in war.
What can I do? I am joining with the dozens of other Save the Children advocates who have converged on Washington today to meet with our elected officials, and urge passage of the Women and Children in Armed Conflict Protection Act of 2003.
Women’s and children’s lives depend on it.
Thank you.
