[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 32 Introduced in House (IH)]
103d CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 32
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning
systematic rape in the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 6, 1993
Mr. Miller of California (for himself, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Mfume, Mr.
Dellums, Mrs. Schroeder, Mr. Torricelli, Mrs. Kennelly, Mr. Edwards of
California, Ms. Meek, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Gejdenson, Mr. Waxman, Mr.
Olver, Mr. Manton, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Sabo, Mr. Ramstad, Mr. McDermott,
Mr. Coleman, Mr. de Lugo, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Bonior, Mr. Swett, Mr. Sawyer,
Mr. Mineta, Mr. Lancaster, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Abercrombie, Mrs.
Meyers of Kansas, Mr. Moran, Mr. Levin, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sanders, Mr.
Cooper, Ms. Molinari, Mr. Price, Mrs. Morella, Mr. Matsui, Mr.
Beilenson, Mr. Bacchus of Florida, Mr. Brown of California, Mr. Stark,
Mr. Owens, Mr. Foglietta, Mr. Wilson, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Torres, Ms.
Waters, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Lehman, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Kennedy, Mr.
Wheat, Mr. Yates, Mr. Towns, Mrs. Collins of Michigan, Mr. Reed, Mr.
Hoyer, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Hochbrueckner, Mr. Richardson, and Mr.
Frank of Massachusetts) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning
systematic rape in the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Whereas credible reports indicate that rape has been used as a tactic of war by
all the combatants in the former Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, and that rape has become a deliberate, widespread, and
systematic form of violence in particular by Serbian soldiers against
thousands of Moslem women of all ages in the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina;
Whereas credible reports also indicate the forced pregnancy of Moslem women by
Serbian soldiers in this conflict;
Whereas women are protected against ``any attack on their honour, in particular
against rape, enforced prostitution, or any form of indecent assault''
under Article 27 of the 3rd Geneva Convention, 1949, and are protected
against ``outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and
degrading treatment, rape, enforced prostitution, and any form of
indecent assault,'' under Article 4, Protocol II Additional to the
Geneva Conventions, 1977;
Whereas ``inhumane acts'' are considered ``crimes against humanity'' under the
London Agreement that established the guidelines for the Nuremberg
Trials, and ``torture or inhuman treatment'' and ``willfully causing
great suffering or serious injury to body or health'' are considered
``grave breaches'' of the 4th Geneva Convention, 1949, under Article 147
of that Convention;
Whereas rape is a deplorable and illegal act of violence in the United States
and in every country in Europe;
Whereas systematic rape in the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina has been denounced
under United Nations Security Council Resolution 798 and by the Council
of Ministers of the European Community in its declaration of December
11, 1992;
Whereas Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger has denounced atrocities in this
conflict and has named individuals that should stand trial in an
international court for ``crimes against humanity'';
Whereas on August 11, 1992, the House of Representatives approved H. Res. 554,
expressing the sense of the House that crimes against humanity and war
crimes in this conflict should be investigated and that perpetrators of
such crimes should be tried in an international tribunal;
Whereas the United Nations Commission of Experts is presently collecting
information and evidence for the eventual establishment of an
international tribunal to prosecute war crimes under international law
that are committed in this conflict;
Whereas in 1944 President Franklin D. Roosevelt publicly denounced ``acts of
savagery'' committed by the German forces during World War II and
pledged that the perpetrators would be punished; and
Whereas the Allies made it clear in the Moscow declaration in 1943 that they
would seek the prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes committed
during World War II: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) rape, whether individual or mass rape, is an
unacceptable means of warfare;
(2) the House of Representatives strongly condemns the
systematic and widespread rape of women and girls in Bosnia-
Herzegovina;
(3) rape and forced pregnancy are ``crimes against
humanity'' under international law, regardless of the ethnicity
or religion of the victims or the perpetrators, and should be
so recognized in an international tribunal to try perpetrators
of crimes against humanity and war crimes;
(4) the House of Representatives applauds Secretary of
State Eagleburger for denouncing ``crimes against humanity'' in
the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina and for calling for an
international crimes tribunal to prosecute such crimes;
(5) the House applauds the adoption of United Nations
Security Council Resolution 798 and the declaration of December
11, 1992, of the Council of Ministers of the European
Community, both of which denounced the systematic rape of
Moslem women in this conflict;
(6) the President of the United States should publicly
condemn systematic rape in this conflict, should vigorously
support the establishment by the United Nations of an
international tribunal to prosecute crimes against humanity and
war crimes, and should state that rape, whether individual or
mass rape, and forced pregnancy, as tactics of war, are crimes
against humanity and war crimes;
(7) all countries participating in humanitarian relief
efforts in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
should allocate resources for the treatment of rape victims,
including the training of relief workers in the medical and
psychological effects of rape; and
(8) all parties to the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina
should immediately take steps to protect the rights of women
and girls as recognized in the Geneva Conventions, and
specifically to protect them from rape, forced pregnancy, and
the infliction of other indiginities.
Sec. 2. The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit a
copy of this resolution to the President of the United States and the
Secretary General of the United Nations.
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