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“SUPPORT THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY FUND” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E297-E298 on Feb. 18, 2011.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORT THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY FUND
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HON. DONALD M. PAYNE
of new jersey
in the house of representatives
Friday, February 18, 2011
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose amendment #380, proposed by our colleagues Mr. Reed and Mr. Graves, which eliminate the State Department Democracy Fund and the Human Rights and Democracy Fund
(HRDF).
The Human Rights and Democracy Fund funded by the Democracy Fund appropriation, finances innovative projects across the world to support the long-standing bipartisan U.S. foreign policy goals of defending human rights and advancing democratic values. Continued HRDF programming is vital to U.S. national security because democratic governance fosters more stable countries and regions, and free nations are more peaceful towards other democracies. Democracy promotion funding, started under President Reagan, has grown to its current consistent level of $70 million. Sustained congressional support for HRDF is critical.
Promoting democracy and human rights is a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy goals and the advancement of our national interests because it is the most effective long-term way to strengthen international stability. By reducing regional conflicts, countering terrorism and terror-supporting extremism, and extending peace and prosperity, the U.S. protects liberty and justice and the non-negotiable demands of human dignity.
The Human Rights and Democracy Fund is the foundation for U.S. support for democracy and human rights across the globe. With HRDF, the U.S. addresses the most egregious of human rights abuses, open political space in struggling and nascent democracies and authoritarian regimes, promote religious freedom and tolerance, support civil society, protect at risk populations, and further global internet freedom and corporate social responsibility throughout the world. With HRDF, the United States was able to help counter extremism by supporting at risk populations in the Middle East, thereby reducing breeding grounds of future terrorists. DRL was able to provide thousands of Haitians with internet and radio access in the immediate aftermath of the Hurricane there.
The Human Rights and Democracy Fund is enabling the U.S. to implement innovative programs across Africa. In Morocco, the Democracy Fund supports justice sector institutions to develop alternatives to pre-
trial detention of youth offenders that enable rehabilitation outside of prison. To stem gender-based violence (GBV) in the war-torn region of eastern Congo, the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) initiative provided legal assistance to victims of sexual violence. As a result, 296 GBV survivors received legal counseling and 212 survivors received psychological counseling; 98 criminal complaints were filed against suspected perpetrators; and an unprecedented 25 rape convictions were secured. In Sudan, in response to widespread violence against women in Darfur, DRL used Democracy Fund appropriations to provide critical services and community outreach to survivors of gender-based violence. Through the establishment of women centers, tens of thousands of women received an array of services, including literacy classes, health education, income-generating activities and treatment for sexual violence including medical, psychosocial, and case management services.
Without HRDF, victims will lose valuable avenues for recourse, civil society activists will become increasingly isolated, women will become more vulnerable, and truth-telling journalists will be quieted. DRL would not be able to support efforts to push the Chinese government to more actively disclose food and drug safety information that directly affects the well-being of the American public; foster critical advances in the rule law, including criminal justice reform; support the growth of the NGO sector and its advocacy on behalf of the marginalized in society; or widen space for religious freedom. Without HRDF, DRL would not be able to help male civic and religious leaders be a powerful voice for the rights of women in Afghanistan.
I urge my colleagues to support democracy and human rights in the developing world by voting NO on the Reed/Graves amendment #380.
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