Barack Obama Signs Marco Rubio's, Jeanne Shaheen's 'Girls Count Act' into Law

President Barack Obama signed the “Girls Count Act" into law on Friday. The bill from Republican presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.,  carves 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.

“By having the president sign the Girls Count Act today, the U.S. is solidifying our commitment to helping all kids around the world to get registered at birth so they are counted and able to fully participate in and contribute to their societies,” Rubio said on Friday. “Now the important work of implementing this law can begin, and I will be monitoring the administration’s progress in helping children with no birth certificates attain those critical documents.
 
“Failing to register children at birth leaves them vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation, yet millions of children around the world continue to be denied this basic human right,” added Rubio. “The Girls Count Act will help pave the way for women especially to benefit from new opportunities previously denied to them, and is a strong step forward in the fight against human trafficking and forced labor.”
 
“All women deserve the basic dignity and protection that comes from being registered at birth,” Shaheen said. “Now that this bill has become law, I’m proud that the United States government will be taking additional steps to improve weak birth registration systems around the world that leave young girls vulnerable to exploitation and deny them full citizenship.”