Republican presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., scored a win at the end of last week as the Senate passed their Girls Count Act. The bill, which passed with unanimous consent, would carve out funds from current foreign aid programs to create birth registries in underdeveloped countries.
Noting that 51 million children across the globe are not registered at birth, with most of them being girls, the senators teamed up to introduce the bill back in July. The senators brought the bill back earlier this year.
When children are not registered at birth, they cannot achieve their full potential or have their dignity recognized for the simple reason that governments dont acknowledge that they even exist, Rubio said on Saturday after the Senate passed the bill. Without any official records, these children have been left vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation, and excluded from accessing basic services, like education and health care.
Of course all children exist and are worthy of protection, and it should be a U.S. policy goal to help all kids get registered at birth, Rubio continued. Passage of the Girls Count Act brings us one step closer to making sure every child can be counted and able to fully participate in and contribute to their societies.
"Every child has the right to be recognized and protected," said Shaheen. "The passage of this bill is an important step toward safeguarding the basic rights of women and girls, and making sure they are able to thrive and succeed."
Back in March, U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md.,a and Christopher Coons, D-Del., co-sponsored the bill while U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., jumped on as co-sponsors last week.
At the other end of Capitol Hill, the House companion, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, is picking up steam. The House Foreign Affairs Committee backed the bill without opposition last week and Chabot has rounded up more than 40 co-sponsors, including Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Ander Crenshaw, Rich Nugent and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Sunshine State Democrats U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel and Alcee Hastings.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
