[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 140 (Wednesday, October 17, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1918-E1919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SUPPRESSION OF WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SUSAN DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 16, 2001

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, prior to the Soviet occupation 
in 1979 Afghanistan was a country on the path to modernization. Afghan 
women were doctors, lawyers, judges,

[[Page E1919]]

civil servants, in short, they were a vital aspect of Afghan society.
  Women were active members of society. They attended universities. 
They had the right to vote. They participated in many sectors of the 
work force. However, decades of war, drought, famine, and oppression 
have taken a hefty toll on the entire population, and women in 
particular.
  In a country where women were once equal and respected members of 
society, they are now shrouded into silence. Life for women in 
Afghanistan no longer exists. They live in seclusion, unable to 
interact with others.
  In 1996, a now notorious regime known as the Taliban moved into the 
capital city of Kabul and began imposing their strict moral code. The 
Afghan people awoke one morning to find that their lives had been 
changed overnight. The Taliban announced the imposition of their new 
rules over Afghanistan's national radio.
  Women were no longer allowed to work or attend school. Women were no 
longer permitted to leave their homes without a male relative. If they 
were caught outside without the accompaniment they were lashed with 
whips. Women were no longer allowed to wear nail polish. If they did, 
their fingernails would be pulled out. Making excessive noise when 
walking was also grounds for punishment.
  Afghan women have lived under this magnitude of oppression for five 
years now, and it has taken its' toll. Depression and suicide rates in 
Afghanistan have dramatically increased. Previously, suicide was 
virtually unheard of, now many women see it as the only means to end 
their suffering. Some women are choosing to end their lives by drinking 
a caustic soda, a solution that causes severe pain and takes three days 
to take effect.
  I know of one Afghan woman named ``Rozia'' who managed to escape 
Kabul and find refuge in America. She left Afghanistan after her 
husband was taken away and subsequently killed by the Taliban. His only 
crime was that he did not subscribe to the Taliban mentality. She was 
forced to flee her homeland with her four young children, eventually 
making her way to San Diego.
  She is one of the lucky few that has managed to escape. However, even 
in America she is frightened to speak out against the Taliban in fear 
that they will punish her remaining family members in Kabul.
  The plight of the Afghan women under the oppressive hand of the 
Taliban has been going on for over five years. These egregious 
violations of human rights must end. In addition, the women of 
Afghanistan--freed from this oppression--must have an opportunity to 
play a role in the rebuilding of a more open society. Only then will 
Afghan children grow up believing life holds something besides being a 
freedom fighter or a terrorist.

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