109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2392
To promote the empowerment of women in Afghanistan.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 8, 2006
Mrs. BOXER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred
to the Committee on Foreign Relations
A BILL
To promote the empowerment of women in Afghanistan.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2006'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Under the oppressive rule of the Taliban, the women of Afghanistan
were denied the most basic human rights, including the rights to work,
to an education, to health care, and to move freely.
(2) Women who attempted to assert their rights under the Taliban regime
were subjected to beatings and imprisonments, and many suffer from the
long-term consequences of such oppression.
(3) Women in Afghanistan have one of the highest mortality rates in the
world, with an estimated 16,000 maternal deaths annually.
(4) Despite efforts by the United States Government and the international
community to improve the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan, many
women and girls continue to lack access to basic services, including health
care and education. Approximately 80 percent of Afghan women are illiterate.
(5) Today, women and girls in Afghanistan still face oppression resulting
from violence and intimidation by Taliban and other militia groups. In
recent months, there has been a significant increase in the number of
attacks against girls' schools in an attempt to prevent women and girls
from regaining their rights and freedoms.
(6) The strengthening of institutions and nongovernmental organizations
that are led by women in Afghanistan is essential to building civil society
and holding the Government of Afghanistan accountable for protecting women's
rights and human rights.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the protection of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and
their full participation in the reestablishment of democracy are essential
to the reconstruction of a stable and democratic Afghanistan, and to achieve
such a reconstruction, the United States Government must commit resources
to advance the rights of women throughout Afghanistan;
(2) the United States Government should provide strong support for the
Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Afghan Independent Human Rights
Commission, both of which were created by the Agreement on Provisional
Agreements in Afghanistan Pending the Establishment of Permanent Governing
Institutions, done in Bonn December 5, 2001 (commonly known as the `Bonn
Agreement') to remedy past violations of women's rights and human rights
and to establish institutions and programs to ensure policies that advance
such rights;
(3) the United States Government should make it a priority to provide
assistance to Afghan-led nongovernmental organizations, particularly Afghan
women-led nonprofit organizations; and
(4) grants and assistance to Afghanistan shall be conditioned upon the
Government of Afghanistan adhering to international standards for women's
rights and human rights.
SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN AND GIRLS.
Section 103(a)(7) of the Afghan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7513(a)(7))
is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking clauses (i) through (xii) and inserting
the following:
`(i) to provide equipment, medical supplies, and other assistance
to health care facilities for the purpose of reducing maternal and
infant mortality and morbidity;
`(ii) to establish and expand programs to provide services to women
and girls suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, depression,
and mental illness;
`(iii) to protect and provide services to vulnerable populations,
including widows, orphans, and women head of households;
`(iv) to establish primary and secondary schools for girls that include
mathematics, science, and languages in their primary curriculum;
`(v) to expand technical and vocational training programs to enable
women to support themselves and their families;
`(vi) to maintain and expand adult literacy programs, including economic
literacy programs that promote the well-being of women and their families;
`(vii) to provide special educational opportunities for girls whose
schooling was ended by the Taliban and who now face obstacles to participating
in the normal education system, such as girls who are now married
and girls who are older than the normal age for their classes;
`(viii) to disseminate information throughout Afghanistan on the rights
of women and on international standards for human rights;
`(ix) to provide information and assistance to enable women to exercise
property, inheritance, and voting rights, and to ensure equal access
to the judicial system;
`(x) to monitor and investigate violations of women's rights and to
provide legal assistance to women who have suffered violations of
their rights;
`(xi) to increase political and civil participation of women in all
levels of society, including the criminal justice system;
`(xii) to provide information and training related to women's rights
and human rights to military, police, and legal personnel; and
`(xiii) to provide assistance to the Ministry of Women's Affairs and
the Independent Human Rights Commission for programs to advance the
status of women.'; and
(2) by restating subparagraph (B) to read as follows:
`(B) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- For each of the fiscal years 2007 through
2009--
`(i) $5,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to the President
to be made available to the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs for
the administration and conduct of its programs;
`(ii) $10,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to the President
to be made available to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission
for the administration and conduct of its programs; and
`(iii) $30,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to the President
for grants to Afghan women-led nonprofit organizations to support
activities including the construction, establishment, and operation
of schools for married girls and girls' orphanages, vocational training
for women and girls, health care clinics for women and children, programs
to strengthen Afghan women-led organizations and women's leadership,
and to provide monthly financial assistance to widows, orphans, and
women head of households.'.
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ASSISTANCE.
It is the sense of Congress that, in providing assistance under section
103(a)(7) of the Afghan Freedom Support Act (22 U.S.C. 7513(a)(7)), as amended
by section 4, the President should--
(1) condition the provision of such assistance on the recipient adhering
to international standards for women's rights and human rights; and
(2) ensure that Afghan women-led nongovernmental organizations throughout
Afghanistan with demonstrated experience in delivering services to Afghan
women and children receive grants without ethnic, religious, or any other
discrimination.
SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
(a) Reports Required- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, and every 6 months thereafter for 3 years, the Secretary of
State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development shall jointly submit a report on the activities carried out
under this Act to the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on International Relations
and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(b) Content- Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall include the
amount of assistance provided under section 103(a)(7) of the Afghan Freedom
Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7513(a)(7)), as amended by section 4, to--
(1) the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs;
(2) the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission; and
(3) Afghan women-led nonprofit organizations.
END
