[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 19, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5777-S5778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Mr. Durbin):
  S. 2647. A bill to require that activities carried out by the United 
States in Afghanistan relating to governance, reconstruction and 
development, and refugee relief and assistance will support the basic 
human rights of women and women's participation and leadership in these 
areas; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill for myself 
and Senator Durbin that would ensure that U.S. funded activities in 
Afghanistan support the basic human rights of women and women's 
participation and leadership in all areas of society, development, and 
governance. Importantly, it also specifies that direct aid should be 
targeted to the Ministry of Women's Affairs, which will play a critical 
role in the new government.
  Women in Afghanistan have made significant progress since the Taliban 
was removed from power last year, but there is still a long way to go 
before women are restored to the place they held in society and 
government before the Taliban took power in 1996.
  As I told Chairman Karzai when I visited the country in February, if 
he is truly to restore the people's faith and confidence in the Afghan 
government, women cannot be excluded from the reconstruction process. 
The recent loya jirga did make some strides in the right direction. 
Eleven percent of the participants were women, although only 20 of the 
180 total women were elected--with the rest being appointed. Also, the 
Minister of the Women's Affairs Ministry, Sima Simar, was one of the 
two Deputy Chairs of the loya jirga. Yet, clearly, much remains to be 
done before Afghan women will fully rebuild their health, their 
education, their welfare, their security, and their self-dignity.
  Before the Taliban, Afghan women enjoyed both stature and freedom. In 
fact, many Americans may be unaware that Afghan women were not only 
well educated, they constituted 70 percent of the nation's school 
teachers, half the government's civilian workers, and 40 percent of the 
doctors in the hospital.
  We are all now aware that with the rise of the Taliban, the lives of 
Afghan women dramatically changed. Women were banished from the 
workforce. They were not allowed to earn an living or to support 
themselves or their family, even if they were the sole family 
breadwinner. Tens of thousands of women widowed by decades of war had 
no option to provide for their families. Many turned to begging and 
prostitution.
  Girls could not attend school and women were expelled from 
universities. In fact, incredibly, women were prohibited from even 
leaving their homes at all unless accompanied by a close male relative, 
even in the event of a medical emergency for themselves or their 
children. These women were under house arrest, prisoners in their own 
home.
  And, if that wasn't bad enough, they were prisoners within 
themselves. The Taliban went to great and inhumane lengths to strip 
women of their sense of pride and personhood. Afghan women were forced 
to wear a burqa, a head to toe covering, to make them invisible to the 
world. And for those who dared tread upon or flout these laws, 
penalties for violations of Taliban law ranged from beatings to public 
floggings and executions--all state sanctioned.
  Of course, the Taliban is gone now. Women are slowly returning to 
school and to work. They are beginning to return to their homes from 
refugee camps. Some are even taking part in the new Afghan government. 
But problems still exist.
  Afghan women still make up 75 percent or more of the refugees and 
internally displaced in camps, urban areas, and villages. Afghan women 
still do not have access to sufficient primary health care services, 
including pre- and postnatal care, leading to one of the highest 
maternal mortality rates in the world. And it is believed that more 
than 90 percent of Afghan women are illiterate, which disqualifies them 
from participation in government.
  Every member of society has a role to play in rebuilding, and the 
role of women is especially important. Throughout Afghanistan's years 
of war, it was women who were responsible for food, shelter, and other 
basic human needs. Now, during Afghanistan's massive redevelopment, 
impowering women is critical to improving education, primary health, 
and overall development. Women must be taught the skills they need and 
be given access to the necessary resources to take control of their own 
lives and in turn foster full redevelopment of their country.
  The United States has been a leader in assisting Afghanistan, in 
fact, the

[[Page S5778]]

United States is the largest single provider of assistance to the 
Afghan people, making substantial contributions to emergency relief and 
humanitarian efforts. While we have done much for Afghanistan, 
completing our mission there will require more. Strong and continued 
support from the United States will ensure that the advances made by 
Afghan women since the fall of the Taliban will continue and grow, 
rather than recede.
  By requiring that United States assistance funds to Afghanistan 
promote access for Afghan women to health, education, development, 
governance, and security, this bill will help ensure the prosperity and 
human rights of all Afghan people. As I've said repeatedly, we are 
absolutely right to help Afghanistan build for the future, because as 
we've discovered, we cannot hope for security here until we lay the 
groundwork for stability there. And we cannot have true stability there 
if women are left out of the equation.
  This bill directs that assistance go to support the Ministry of Women 
and Children's Affairs, an important new ministry that is essential for 
reestablishing women's human rights, ensuring that women are included 
in all development efforts, and delivering critical legal, health, 
education, and economic services to women throughout Afghanistan.
  The bill also calls for a portion of United States development, 
humanitarian and relief assistance to be channeled to local Afghan 
organizations so that these organizations, with an already developed 
expertise, can achieve results quickly as time is of the essence. Local 
women's organizations are delivering critical services and have the 
knowledge and experience to assist the United States in delivering 
effective relief aid. These groups need our support.
  The bill also directs financial assistance to build a health 
infrastructure to deliver high-quality comprehensive health care 
programs, and an education infrastructure for primary through higher 
education for Afghan girls and boys, vocational training for women and 
men, and retraining for former combatants. Education is the heart of 
progress and nowhere is this more critical than in Afghanistan.
  Finally, the bill ensures that all United States training of the new 
Afghan police and security forces include training on the protection of 
human rights, especially for women, whose rights have been violated for 
so long. This must end and training for this will give the new 
authorities the training and knowledge to help stop it.
  The potential for prosperity in Afghanistan will only be realized 
when, as in the United States, both men and women have an opportunity 
to participate and contribute. That is what this bill is all about, 
ensuring that women have the access needed to participate and 
contribute in all aspects of rebuilding their country.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
                                 ______