[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24302]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMENDING AFGHAN WOMEN

  (Mrs. BIGGERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the women of 
Afghanistan and to encourage my colleagues to join me in expressing 
strong support for their inclusion in the new Afghan constitution.
  Nearly 2 years after the fall of the Taliban government, Afghan women 
are reclaiming their rightful place in society, returning to jobs and 
professions they held before the Taliban. No longer do they live in 
fear of a brutal regime. Instead, they are working to build a new 
democracy.
  Under the Bonn Agreement, the people in Afghanistan will have in 
place in the coming months a new constitution. As the drafters continue 
the hard work of crafting that important document, we must continue to 
include the women of Afghanistan in the protection of their human 
rights.
  It is for this reason that the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. 
Maloney) and I introduced today a resolution commending the 
participation of women in Afghan government and society and advocating 
the protection of women's human rights under the constitution. I urge 
Members to support this resolution.

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