Afghan Women Spoke and Congress Listened

afghan women protest

Afghan Young Women for Change (YWC) activists, holding placards which read “where is justice?”, take part in a protest denouncing violence against women in Afghanistan in Kabul on April 14, 2012.

The U.S. Senate took a critical step to prioritize security needs of Afghan women and girls! Yesterday, Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced the Afghan Women and Girls Security Promotion Act of 2012.

If enacted, this crucial piece of legislation would require the Department of Defense to develop a three-part strategy to promote and support the security of Afghan women and girls during and after the security transition process. The bill would support Afghan women’s rights by:
• Improving monitoring and response to women’s security conditions.
• Increasing recruitment and retention of women in the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) by reducing barriers to women’s participation.
• Improving gender sensitivity among ANSF personnel by requiring training related to the human rights of women and girls and by strengthening enforcement and accountability.

With threats to women’s rights in the news daily, and reports of murders, poisonings and acts of intimidation, this bill is a positive step towards ensuring and strengthening women’s security and helps to lay a foundation for Afghan women’s full participation in the long term. As with every country around the globe, the respect for the human rights of women and girls will be a crucial determinant of Afghanistan’s ability to create a stable and prosperous future.

The U.S. Senate is poised to add this bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which is currently being debated in the Senate. If so, the bill could pass quickly into law and help improve the security situation of Afghan women and girls.
Please take action to support the human rights of Afghan women and girls by contacting your Senators today and urging them to cosponsor the Afghan Women and Girls Security Promotion Act. You can reach your Senator by calling the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking for to speak with the Senators from your state.

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4 thoughts on “Afghan Women Spoke and Congress Listened

  1. Despite mostly being opposed to U.S. military involvement in other countries, it is heartening to see the United States take action in promoting feminism and equal rights between genders in Afghanistan. After listening to a talk by Raj Shah from USAID, it is clearly evident that the United States has promoted female education to the extent that it never was before U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. With the advent of the Afghan Women and Girls Security Promotion Act of 2012, the United States is acting as a true leader in the promotion of equal rights.
    Still, how feasible is it that the Afghan National Security Forces will be able to implement this act as the presence of the United States diminishes in Afghanistan. Will U.S. troops still be around to enforce this act?

  2. we should promot the women of minoraties like fata and afghans ………they are laying down from the basic need of life and face great terror from the artificial nature.
    masroor ahmed
    north waziristan
    miranshah
    textile designer
    islamabad pakistan

  3. No Human Being should ever have to die because they are not doing what someone wants, especially when what they want is to abuse, rape and marginalize them. I wish men in these fanatical cults would stop acting like babies and grow brains. Without strong women in your culture, you are weak and cowardly. No holy book of any religion promotes beatings, rapes or killings, PERIOD!! This is why the Taliban does not want people to be literate, when a person can read, they can see for themselves the lies spread and the barbaric acts done in the name of religion.

  4. I think it's very brave of them to stand up for themselves. i live in europe but my best friend, a girl, lives in afghanistan with her husband and she told me horrific stories that happened to women there. The saddest part is, they consider it normal!

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