Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times reports that Senator Barbara Boxer of California will chair the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues.

Kristof speculates that “issues like trafficking and maternal mortality and sexual violence finally seem to be getting some traction.” This is the first time a subcommittee has had the specific mandate of dealing with global women’s issues.

Excerpts from Senator Boxer’s official statement below, Kristof’s full piece here

Senator Boxer said, “I am very grateful to our new Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator John Kerry, for allowing me to focus part of my efforts on the worldwide status of women.”

Boxer continued, “This new subcommittee assignment offers a tremendous opportunity to shine the light of day on a very overlooked issue. Too often, we turn our eyes away as women are persecuted, abused and treated as second-class citizens. But even the most conservative historians have noted that when women are given the freedom to live up to their full potential, society as a whole flourishes. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Congress and with Secretary Clinton to stamp out violence against women in the world.”

Boxer also said she looks forward to conducting oversight of U.S. participation at the United Nations and working to promote human rights abroad.

-Chris Scott