[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 27, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 2032. A bill to provide assistance and security for women and 
children in Afghanistan and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, yesterday was an important and historic 
day for Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai signed a new constitution 
that guarantees the equal rights of all Afghans, including women.
  Given the terrible hardship women and girls in Afghanistan faced 
during the years of war, drought and the draconian policies of the 
Taliban, this new constitution is an important step forward.
  However, yesterday's victory will be sort-lived if the constitution 
is not implemented and women continue to suffer from discrimination and 
violence, and are denied access to health care, education and job 
training.
  The biggest challenge facing women today is a lack of basic security. 
Human Rights Watch reported earlier this month that:

     women and girls bear some of the worst effects of 
     Afghanistan's insecurity. Conditions are generally better 
     than under the Taliban, but women and girls continue to face 
     severe governmental and social discrimination. Those who 
     organize protests or criticize local rulers face threats and 
     violence. Soldiers and police routinely harass women and 
     girls, even in Kabul city. Many women and girls are afraid to 
     remove the burqa. Because soldiers are targeting women and 
     girls, many are staying indoors, especially in rural areas, 
     making it impossible for them to attend school, go to work, 
     or actively participate in the country's reconstruction.

  Today, I am introducing legislation that will ensure that women and 
children are able to thrive in a post-Taliban Afghanistan.
  This legislation authorizes $300 million each year to provide 
assistance to Afghan women and children with four specific goals. 
First, the bill seeks to enhance the political and human rights of 
women by providing assistance to help them exercise property, 
inheritance and voting rights and to enforce provisions in the new 
constitution that ensure equal rights for women.
  Second, the bill provides funding for health care, including 
assistance to reduce maternal and infant mortality and to train 
midwives, nurses and traditional birth attendants.
  Third, funding is authorized to be used for education and training, 
including expanding schools for women and girls, technical and 
vocational training and literacy programs.
  Finally, the bill addresses the issue of security by providing 
programs to prevent the trafficking of women and girls, support the 
return of refugees, and provide general security to prevent violent 
attacks against schools. The bill also calls for an expansion of 
international peacekeeping forces throughout the country.
  We have heard many times that failure is not an option in 
Afghanistan. Passage of this legislation will go a long way to ensure 
the success of a democratic and peaceful nation.
                                 ______