On February 23, the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organization, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Rights and Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs held a joint hearing, “Afghan Women and Girls: Building the Future of Afghanistan.”
Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said, “It goes without saying that the women of Afghanistan have borne the brunt of the war, violence, and tragedy that has plagued Afghanistan for decades. Under the Taliban-led government, women were shut out of virtually all aspects of public life, largely denied the opportunity to hold a job or to seek medical care, and prohibited from receiving an education. But over the past few years, Afghan women have made important progress. Today, millions of Afghan girls are enrolled in school, Afghan women are serving in Parliament, and many Afghan women business leaders are contributing economically to the future of the country. But this progress is at risk as Afghan President Hamid Karzai moves to reintegrate elements of the Taliban into local and national politics and society through a process called reconciliation. It is critical that Afghan women play a meaningful role in any reconciliation process so that women’s rights and freedoms are guaranteed. As aptly stated in the administration’s recently released Action Plan for Afghan Women and Girls, ‘women’s empowerment is inextricably linked to security, economic opportunity, effective governance, and social development. It is a simple fact that no country can prosper if half its citizens are left behind.’ I could not agree more.”
Chair Bob Casey (D-PA) said, “The U.S. government also can do more to help Afghan women. The Afghan Civilian Assistance Program has had great success in delivering supplies to help families rebuild their lives in conflict areas of the country…In a culture where compensation is expected, this has caused more suffering among women in particular who need immediate funds for funerals, to travel to stay with family, and to feed their children. I know that General [Stanley] McChrystal [commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan] has championed an effort to create uniform standards for family compensation and I hope that the upcoming NATO ministerial conference will address this important issue. Despite the challenges that Afghan women and girls face, there are some reasons for optimism. There are courageous leaders in and outside of government in Afghanistan, as well as in the international community, who are fighting for the rights of women and girls. Several NGOs…have been implementing programs to give Afghan women economic independence, which will help them in the social and political realm. Dr. Sima Samar’s leadership at the Afghan Human Rights Commission is remarkable and I look forward to hearing her observations. There are countless women across Afghanistan who work on a daily basis to ensure that life will be better in the future for their daughters and sons.”
“The participation of Afghan women is critical for sustainable development, better governance, and peace in short, they are essential to securing a better future for Afghanistan,” said Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer. She continued, “On January 28, leaders from around the world gathered in London to discuss Afghanistan’s future. Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton underscored the importance of women in Afghanistan’s development and unveiled the Women’s Action Plan, which is incorporated into our U.S. Afghanistan and Pakistan Regional Stabilization Strategy. As Secretary Clinton said, ‘the plan includes initiatives focused on women’s security, women’s leadership in the public and private sector; women’s access to judicial institutions, education, and health services; and women’s ability to take advantage of economic opportunities, especially in the agricultural sector. This is a comprehensive, forward-looking agenda.’ The Afghanistan and Pakistan Regional Stabilization Strategy recognizes women as agents of change and underscores their importance to our civilian stabilization plan and our efforts to strengthen Afghan communities’ capacity to withstand the threat posed by extremism. It establishes women’s empowerment as critical to unleashing the full economic potential of the Afghan people.” She added, “Our efforts focus not only on building the capacity of women and mitigating the security issues that impede their political progress, but also on securing prominent allies within Afghan culture and society. Through the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), the Department of State currently supports four programs, totaling more than USD 2 million, that promote women’s rights at the local level by engaging religious leaders and local officials to engage women in the electoral process and to develop women’s participation in local governance. In one such project, more than 800 religious leaders, government officials, media representatives, and civil society members received training on human rights concepts, including the rights of women, within the context of Islam. One of the mullahs who participated in the training now has a regular one-hour program on Sharq Television, in which he has spoken about the rights of women, children, and families.”
James Bever, executive director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force, commented on the progress Afghan women have made since the end of the Taliban regime: “Considering the plight of women and girls under Taliban rule, the achievements in Afghanistan since 2001 are especially remarkable. Girls and women are back in school at all levels, and school enrollment tops six million students, with women and girls making up over 35 percent of that population. Women and children make up 70 percent of those seeking health services, and the maternal and child mortality rates have decreased. The infant mortality rate has fallen by 25 percent. The number of women entrepreneurs and women-led and/or -focused NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] is increasing, and more women are participating in the public and political sphere.” However, he cautioned that “Implementation of projects and programs overall is made much more difficult by the level of violence the country is currently experiencing as a result of the ongoing insurgency…Furthermore, we have been concerned with developments as they relate to the Elimination of Violence Against Women Law (EVAW), the Shia Personal Status Law, and the recent Parliamentary decree on elections and related matters. The EVAW is a noteworthy piece of legislation that if implemented and enforced consistently could provide tangible benefits and protections for women. I am concerned that this has languished in Parliament for quite some time and that eventual enforcement of its various provisions will not be consistent. Despite revisions through the spring of 2009 and extensive domestic and international controversy, the Shia Personal Status Law still contains many provisions that are quite troubling regarding the status of women in Afghanistan. Articles in the law of particular concern included minimum age of marriage, polygamy, inheritance rights, right of self-determination, freedom of movement, sexual obligations, and guardianship…As this decree is a fairly new development that we are still looking into, I would simply like to note that this is on our radar screen and we hope that it fully protects the advances and rights of women.”
Dr. Sima Samar, chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, testified during the second panel. Dr. Samar offered several recommendations to improve the status of women of Afghanistan, as well as the future of the country. “[W]omen must be included in decision-making, peace talks, and peace building. The strong military and political presence of the international community and important United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 are made meaningless when a new policy of reintegration and reconciliation with the so-called good Taliban is considered without any discussion of the consequences for women. Women were the primary victims of the Taliban in the past and will be in the future unless attention to women’s rights is paid and upheld by both the Afghan government and the international community, particularly the United States.” She added, “[W]ithout full participation of women, who are the half of the population who are supportive of peace, freedom and democracy, the problems in Afghanistan can not be solved. Respect for culture and religion should not be used as an excuse to ignore women’s rights in Afghanistan. This excuse over the past three decades of war has been disastrous for women…[S]upport for the education for women at all levels is the main tool to empower women. Little attention has been paid in this sector. For example, with all the talks about women’s empowerment, there are no institutions to teach and train people, especially the young generation, on human rights, democracy and gender to enable the people to understand and structurally mainstream gender and human rights in their advocacy efforts…[W]omen’s access to health care, especially to reproductive health care, is vital. Women must be given the choice to control their own body and the number of the children that they have. If women have ten children they will not be healthy and cannot take an active part in political and social activities…[H]uman rights and women’s rights should be at the center of every policy if we really want to achieve peace in Afghanistan. Neither peace and stability, nor development and security can be achieved unless human rights and women’s rights are sustained and promoted. Accountability must replace impunity. One of the most important ingredients of peace is justice. Without justice, the peace building will not be complete or sustainable.”
Rachel Reid, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, made several recommendations regarding the lasting consequences of violence against women in Afghanistan: “One of the great advances since 2001 is the possibility for Afghan women to be active in politics, government, civil society, and other spheres of public life. Yet women in public life are subject to routine threats and intimidation. Several high-profile women have been assassinated in recent years, and their killers have not been brought to justice. Women in insurgent-controlled areas are often threatened and intimidated into retreating to their homes. Every time a woman in public life is killed, her death has a multiplier effect, as women in her region or profession will think twice about their public activities. Women in parliament and on provincial councils face challenges that their male counterparts do not, and require specific training, support, and protection. Without a strong platform in government and society from which to lobby for their rights, women’s advancement in Afghanistan will grind to a halt. We urge the United States to: [p]ress the Afghan government to investigate and prosecute attacks on women in public life; [e]ncourage President Karzai to maintain the reservation of 25 percent of seats for women in parliament and extend this to all sub-national forms of government; [w]ork towards the implementation of the demand from women leaders at the London conference that women be allocated 25 percent of positions in all government bodies, particularly in decision-making positions, the peace jirga, and civil service, including senior positions in the civil service; [w]ork with the government to provide protection for women facing personal threats; [d]evelop specific training programs on law, rights and governance for women in parliament, provincial councils, and all sub-national forms of government; [and] [s]upport programs of gender awareness for men at all levels of public life to discourage discrimination and an atmosphere of hostility and intimidation.”