[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 34 (Thursday, March 21, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     AFGHAN GIRLS RETURN TO SCHOOL

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                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 2002

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable event that 
will be taking place this week in Afghanistan. For the first time in 
five years, Afghan girls will be allowed to enroll in school without 
fear of the Taliban.
  The collapse of the Taliban regime has enabled the Afghan citizens to 
enjoy new personal freedoms that were once forbidden.
  Under the Taliban regime, women and girls were not allowed to go to 
school to attain a basic education. Many illegal schools were set up in 
private homes during the repressive regime because women and girls did 
not want to give up their education. During this time, if any of these 
underground schools were discovered, these women and girls wound up in 
jail, were severely beaten, or sometimes even killed.
  This week marks a time for celebration. Women and girls will no 
longer be threatened and harmed from pursuing their right to an 
education. I celebrate with the Afghan women and girls on their return 
to school and join my colleagues in celebrating this momentous event in 
empowering women around the world.

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