US congresswoman seeks US enforcement of human rights treaties, stoning is cruel
US Representative Betty McCollum (Democrat of Minnesota) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives March 14 that condemns the practice of stoning as a form of execution for crimes, according to a March 18 press release from her office.
McCollum, a onetime high school teacher who has been active in women's health issues, submitted House Concurrent Resolution 351 (H. Con. Res. 351), and the proposed resolution was referred to the House International Relations Committee.
The resolution would require that President Bush "formally communicate" to governments that impose the sentence of stoning that this form of punishment is a gross violation of human rights.
The resolution also calls on the president to urge Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to "immediately suspend the sentence of death by stoning imposed on Safiya Hussaini and take steps to ensure that Nigeria acts in accordance with international human rights standards."
House Concurrent Resolution 351 calls execution by stoning "an exceptionally cruel form of punishment that violates internationally accepted standards of human rights, including those set forth in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment."
The proposed resolution notes that the Nigerian woman, Safiya Hussaini, "stands convicted of adultery and has been sentenced to death by stoning in the State of Sokoto, Nigeria, based solely on the evidence that she was divorced and pregnant, despite her claim that she was a victim of rape, and the fact that she has since given birth to the child."
Congresswoman McCollum said she was moved to take action as the result of an article she read about Hussaini's plight. "I know many people were deeply affected after reading that story but felt they were powerless to help," said McCollum in her news release. "I realized that I had an opportunity to make a difference in this woman's life.
I'm going to use my voice to shine a spotlight on cases throughout the world where women are being oppressed through gender-related persecution."
McCollum said the resolution is just the first step in trying to raise awareness for this human rights issue. "I will be contacting members of the Women's Caucus, the Human Rights Caucus, and other members of the House of Representatives in order to gather support to bring this issue to the forefront," she said.
The resolution refers to "women around the world continue to be targeted for discriminatory, inhuman, and cruel punishments by governments who refuse to protect the rights of all of their citizens equally"