    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [December 12, 2001]
    [Pages 1506-1508]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001
    December 12, 2001

        Thank you all. For several years, the people of Afghanistan have
    suffered under one of the most brutal regimes--brutal regimes--in modern
    history, a regime allied with terrorists and a regime at war with women.
    Thanks to our military and our allies and the brave fighters of
    Afghanistan, the Taliban regime is coming to an end.
        Yet, our responsibilities to the people of Afghanistan have not
    ended. We work for a new era of human rights and human dignity in that
    country. The agreement reached in Bonn last week means that in 10 days
    the international community will have a new partner, an interim
    government of a new Afghanistan.
        We join those in the interim government who seek education and
    better health for every Afghan woman and child. And today, with the
    Afghan Women and Children Relief Act, we take an important step toward
    that goal.
        I want to thank Laura for her introduction, and I want to thank her
    for her steadiness during this crisis. I want to thank
    Farida for her courage. I want to thank the Members of
    the House and the Senate who sponsored this piece of legislation, and
    all the Members of Congress who are here today.
        I want to thank Sima Wali, who is the
    president and CEO of Refugee Women in Development, a key advocate for
    women's rights at the conference of Bonn negotiations last week.
        I thank the members of my Cabinet who are here, Secretary
    Veneman and Administrator Whitman, thank you all for being

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    here. I want to thank the Ambassadors who are here representing the
    diplomatic corps. Thank you all for coming. And I also want to thank
    Billie Holladay for
    opening up this beautiful museum for all of us to come and celebrate
    this important piece of legislation.
        America is beginning to realize that the dreams of the terrorists
    and the Taliban were a waking nightmare for Afghan women and their
    children. The Taliban murdered teenagers for laughing in the presence of
    soldiers. They jailed children as young as 10 years old and tortured
    them for supposed crimes of their parents.
        Afghan women were banned from speaking or laughing loudly. They were
    banned from riding bicycles or attending school. They were denied basic
    health care and were killed on suspicion of adultery. One news magazine
    reports, ``It's hard to find a woman in Kabul who does not remember a
    beating at the hands of the Taliban.''
        In Afghanistan, America not only fights for our security, but we
    fight for the values we hold dear. We strongly reject the Taliban way.
    We strongly reject their brutality toward women and children. They not
    only violate basic human rights; they're barbaric in their indefensible
    meting of justice. It's wrong. Their attitude is wrong for any culture.
    Their attitude is wrong for any religion.
        You know, life in Afghanistan wasn't always this way. Before the
    Taliban came, women played an incredibly important part of that society.
    Seventy percent of the nation's teachers were women. Half of the
    government workers in Afghanistan were women, and 40 percent of the
    doctors in the capital of Kabul were women. The Taliban destroyed that
    progress, and in the process, they offered us a clear image of the world
    they and the terrorists would like to impose on the rest of us.
        The central goal of the terrorists is the brutal oppression of
    women, and not only the women of Afghanistan. The terrorists who help
    rule Afghanistan are found in dozens and dozens of countries around the
    world. And that is the reason this great Nation, with our friends and
    allies, will not rest until we bring them all to justice.
        America is so proud of our military and our allies, because like the
    rest of us here, we've seen the pictures of joy when we liberated city
    after city in Afghanistan. And none of us will ever forget the laughter
    and the music and the cheering and the clapping at a stadium that was
    once used for public execution. Children now fly kites, and they play
    games. Women now come out of their homes from house arrest, able to walk
    the streets without chaperons. ``It feels like we've all been released
    from prison,'' said one young person in Kabul, ``that the whole of
    Afghanistan has been released from prison.''
        This is an important achievement. Yet, a liberated Afghanistan must
    now be rebuilt so that it will never again practice terror at home or
    abroad. This work begins by ensuring the essential rights of all
    Afghans.
        This week is Human Rights Week, when we celebrate the adoption of
    the Universal Declaration of Human Rights more than a century ago--a
    half-century ago. The preamble to that document declares that the people
    of the world reaffirm their ``faith in fundamental human rights, in the
    dignity and worth of the human person, and in equal rights of men and
    women.'' This is a great goal, and that's why I'm so pleased that
    Afghanistan's new government will respect the rights of all people,
    women and men.
        America and our allies will do our part in the rebuilding of
    Afghanistan. We learned our lessons from the past. We will not leave
    until the mission is complete. We will work with international
    institutions on long-term development--on the long-term development of
    Afghanistan. We will provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the
    people of Afghanistan.
        After years of civil war and misrule by the Taliban, this is going
    to be an incredibly difficult winter in Afghanistan. We're

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    doing what we can to help alleviate the suffering. In the month of
    November, the United Nations World Food Program, with our strong
    support, provided enough supplies to feed 4.3 million Afghans. And the
    Defense Department will continue to make sure that food is delivered in
    remote regions of that impoverished, poor, starving country.
        The bill I sign today extends and strengthens our efforts. The
    Afghan Women and Children Relief Act commits the United States to
    providing education and medical assistance to Afghan women and children
    and to Afghan refugees in surrounding countries.
        The overwhelming support for this legislation sends a clear message:
    As we drive out the Taliban and the terrorists, we are determined to
    lift up the people of Afghanistan. The women and children of Afghanistan
    have suffered enough. This great Nation will work hard to bring them
    hope and help. To the bill's sponsors, thank you from the bottom of our
    hearts. You show the true compassion of this great land.
        May God bless the women and children of Afghanistan.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:35 a.m. in the Great Hall of the
    National Museum of Women in the Arts. In his remarks, he referred to
    Afghan human rights activist Farida; and Wilhelmina ``Billie'' Cole
    Holladay, founder and chair of the board, National Museum of Women in
    the Arts. S. 1573, approved December 12, was assigned Public Law No.
    107-81. The proclamation of December 9 on Human Rights Day, Bill of
    Rights Day, and Human Rights Week is listed in Appendix D at the end of
    this volume.