[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 101 (Tuesday, July 23, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7185-S7186]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          PROTECTING WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND HEALTH IN AFGHANISTAN

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, 
women were forbidden to work or attend school. They weren't allowed to 
leave their homes unless they were accompanied by a male relative. For 
example, women who laughed out loud or wore shoes that made clicking 
noises could be beaten. There were many other examples of how women 
were so poorly treated.
  After the fall of the Taliban, we heard encouraging news from 
Afghanistan. Women could go back to work and to school. They were no 
longer forced to wear burqas; that was a matter of choice.
  A recent report from the United Nations found that now nearly 3 
million Afghan children are attending school, and 30 percent of these 
kids are girls.
  In fact, women took part in last month's Loya Jirga, a national 
conference to choose an interim government, and four women were 
appointed to positions in the interim Afghan Government.
  Earlier today, I had the pleasure of meeting these courageous women. 
I met them in the Senate. Habibha Surrabi is Minister of Women and 
Refugee Affairs in Afghanistan. She was a professor of pharmacy at 
Kabul University, but was forced to flee when the Taliban took over in 
1996. In Pakistan, she worked for refugee organizations where she 
focused on the rights of women, education, human rights, health care, 
and sanitation.

[[Page S7186]]

  After September 11, President Bush promised not only to fight al-
Qaida in Afghanistan but here in Washington to work to restore peace 
and democracy in that war-torn country. The President promised 
promoting women's rights in Afghanistan would be an important part of 
that mission.
  Although the Taliban has been routed and al-Qaida is on the run, 
Afghanistan is far from peaceful today. Some say the country is on the 
verge of a civil war as rival warlords battle for control of the 
countryside.
  Vice President Haji Abdul Qadir was assassinated 2 weeks ago. The 
international group, Human Rights Watch, reported local warlords are 
forcing young men to serve in their militias against their will. The 
United Nations has halted its return of refugees to parts of 
Afghanistan because of the increased violence.
  On top of threats to their safety, families suffer from sabotage and 
from shortages of food, water, and health care because warlords are 
disrupting humanitarian aid deliveries. These humanitarian aid 
deliveries are essential. If they cannot be made, then the country 
cannot proceed.
  Unfortunately, the gains Afghan women appeared to be making after the 
fall of the Taliban in many instances are simply an illusion. Afghan 
women continue to feel unsafe and most are afraid to remove their 
burqas. Many of the women who participated in the Loya Jirga a matter 
of weeks ago have been threatened and intimidated. Violence against 
women remains pervasive. They have no recourse or protection.
  Aid workers, foreigners, and Afghan women and children have been 
targeted for robberies, assaults, and rapes. I was told by the Minister 
of Women and Refugee Affairs with whom I met earlier today about some 
brutal things that have taken place in that country, such as a 14-year-
old girl raped. I have it in my mind and it is hard to get it out. 
Women's rights in Afghanistan will not be secure if there is no law or 
order.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator's time has expired.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent I be extended an additional 3 
minutes and that same time be extended to the Republicans.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the rights of women in Afghanistan will not 
be secure if there is no law and order in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's 
new government does not have the resources, no matter what their will, 
to combat warlord infighting, banditry, and lawlessness while trying to 
reestablish institutions of a civil society that were destroyed by the 
Taliban.
  Interim President Karzai has requested international troops to help 
maintain order across the country. We have countries that are willing 
to come in and help. They have been told by our country that they 
should not come. Afghan women say they feel safer when international 
peacekeeping troops are present. That is obvious.
  United Nations Secretary Kofi Annan has called for more peacekeepers, 
and there has been a call by both parties for more peacekeepers in 
Afghanistan. Yet the Bush administration has not yet committed to 
increasing the number of troops engaged--in fact, they have pushed 
against it--in peacekeeping, and they also refuse to allow the 
International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, to operate outside 
Kabul. We need these troops. We need this presence outside Kabul. 
Afghan is more than Kabul. It is a country that has great traditions 
and has a tradition of peace, except for the past 20 years. It can be 
reestablished.
  When President Bush began military operations in Afghanistan, he 
promised Afghanistan would have a stable, democratically elected 
government that can govern in peace. We should not be skeptical of his 
promises. He should follow through on the promises he made. President 
Bush owes that to the American people, but especially to the people of 
Afghanistan. We cannot let the people of Afghanistan down again, and we 
cannot allow either our allies or enemies to believe America does not 
stand by its promises.
  Today I call on the President of the United States to expand the 
International Security Assistance Force immediately to stop the 
violence, allow humanitarian aid to reach impoverished areas, and 
protect Afghan women and children. They need our help, Mr. President.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Iowa.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I have a Republican member who wishes to 
speak. I wonder if I can get a Democratic member to speak. If not, I 
will go ahead. Is there anyone waiting to speak on the Democratic side? 
If they are, I do not want to lose the time.
  Mr. REID. How much time do the Republicans have now?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republicans have 10 minutes.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. I will proceed, Mr. President.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Iowa.

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