Rubio, Shaheen Welcome House Passage Of Girls Count Act, Call For President's Signature

Press Release

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) welcome last night's passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of the "Girls Count Act," a bill they introduced earlier this year directing current U.S. foreign assistance programming to support the rights of women and girls in developing countries by working to establish birth registries in their countries. Having passed in the Senate last week, the bill now awaits the President's signature to become law.

"Passage of the Girls Count Act in the House brings us one step closer to solving the massive problem regarding children for whom no official records exist because they were not registered at birth," said Rubio. "I hope President Obama will sign the bill swiftly and solidify our country's commitment to helping all kids get registered so we can make sure every child worldwide is counted and able to fully participate in and contribute to their societies."

"All women deserve the basic dignity and protection that comes from being registered at birth," said Shaheen. "As this legislation heads to the President's desk for signature, 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."

Every year, approximately 51 million children under the age of five are not registered at birth, most of whom are girls. Proof of birth determines a child's citizenship, nationality, place of birth, parentage and age, which are critical to ensuring children remain a part of society and do not fall victim to dangers such as exploitation.

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