[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 21865-21866]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 DENOUNCING BRUTAL TREATMENT OF AFGHAN WOMEN AND WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Schrock). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, as the co-chair of the 
Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, I am here again to denounce the 
brutal and horrific treatment directed against Afghan women and women 
around the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I have developed a track record for supporting 
legislation and championing causes that support the needs of women, 
such as pay equity and the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws.
  My passion for supporting the needs and rights of disenfranchised 
women and children has motivated me to urge my fellow House colleagues 
to join me in denouncing oppression wherever it is manifest.
  I have vowed to revisit the plight of Afghan women each week until 
gender apartheid there ceases to exist, and for several weeks I have 
passionately addressed these concerns. Therefore, I come before this 
body not only to express my outrage and sorrow about the plight and 
treatment of Afghani women by the Taliban regime, but to also express 
my outrage regarding domestic violence within our own borders. There 
are atrocities that we and the House will not allow and will continue 
to fight until justice is done for all women.
  In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime is mistreating women. Their 
actions are woefully inconsistent with the Islamic religious 
injunctions that recite one

[[Page 21866]]

should be just and compassionate to women.
  Contrary to Islamic custom, Muslim women and girls are forbidden from 
receiving an education. They can be severely punished and even put to 
death for violating Taliban laws. These laws enforced by the Taliban 
are not those set forth in the Muslim's holy book, the Koran. The laws 
are reflective of narrow and atypical interpretations of Islamic law.
  The end result is that Afghani women are confined to their homes to 
live, suffer, and sometimes die in a state of fear. The fathers, 
brothers, husbands, uncles, and men of the society share in the 
mistreatment of these women. Reports continue to be published about the 
extent of brutality that women and little girls are being subjected to. 
Domestic violence is not only common but rampant.
  I am horrified by this. It is my belief and understanding that women 
are supposed to be held in high esteem. If this is the case, I am 
forced to wonder how these men of the faith can justify such inhumane 
behavior to Muslim women.
  Domestic violence is a phenomenon that plagues women nationwide. In 
the United States, a woman is beaten every 9 seconds. This year, almost 
4 million American women will be physically abused by their husbands or 
their significant others.
  Wife-beating, a common and repugnant behavior employed by far too 
many men, results in more injuries requiring medical treatment than 
rape, auto accidents, and mugging combined. These figures are 
disturbing, Mr. Speaker, and disheartening, because underlying these 
numbers are those not counted that are even more appalling.
  For example, 42 percent of murdered women are killed by their 
intimate male partner. But a tragic and disgraceful irony is that 
prison terms for killing husbands are twice as long as those for 
killing wives. There must be parity in sentencing for domestic violent 
crimes. The women of this House have fought and will continue to fight 
for resources to protect the lives of women.
  In the 7 years since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, 
VAWA, more than $1.5 billion in grant funds have supported the work of 
prosecutors, law enforcement officers, the court, victim advocates, and 
health care and social service professionals.
  Through the support of VAWA funding, my home State of California 
maintains 23 sexual assault response teams, 13 domestic violence 
response teams, and scores of domestic violence advocates located in 
law enforcement agencies throughout the State.
  I am proud of these resources, but more work and funding is needed. 
Women need more safe havens and protection against domestic violence, 
not only for themselves but for their children.
  Mr. Speaker, we will often hear people say that I am a mother of all 
children; and in order to do that, we must be the defender of women's 
rights.

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