Support the Access for Afghan Women Act, H.R. 3342

ISSUE: We must ensure that the White House and Congress make women a real Priority in the peace negotiations and the design of the future government of Afghanistan.

On November 19, Representatives Constance Morella (R-MD) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced into Congress the Access for Afghan Women Act of 2001, H.R. 3342. This bill outlines the concrete and specific steps the United States should take to ensure that women in Afghanistan have a voice in the future of the country and that Afghan women get the relief aid that they desperately need today.

The Access for Afghan Women Act requires the U.S. government to:

1. Consult with and include representatives of women's organizations and networks from the major ethnic groups in Afghanistan during peace negotiations and post-conflict decision-making.
2. Ensure that the full range of human rights of women are included in any constitution or legal structure of a future government in Afghanistan by including a significant number of women in the drafting of a new constitution.
3. Provide financial and programmatic assistance for the efforts of Afghan women's organizations that represent the various ethnic groups.
4. Provide financial assistance for primary, secondary, and higher education for all individuals in Afghanistan.
5. Provide financial assistance to build health infrastructure and to deliver women-centered health programs, particularly comprehensive and high quality reproductive health and family planning services.
6. Take all necessary steps to protect women refugees in camps, urban areas, and villages from violence.
7. Take all necessary steps to ensure that women refugees in camps, urban areas, and villages fleeing from the conflict situation in Afghanistan are directly receiving food aid, shelter, relief supplies, and other services from United States-sponsored programs.

What Can You Do?

The Access for Afghan Women Act will not pass unless there is pressure from women and men around the country. This concrete set of instructions will ensure that the U.S. government will act in the best interests of women in Afghanistan, in addition to talking about the best interest of women in Afghanistan. We must let our Representatives and Senators know that the time has come to "walk our talk."

Your 4 simple actions at this time can affect the lives of millions of Women in Afghanistan.

1. Call your Member of Congress and Senators.
   
   Tell your Member of Congress that you support the Access for Afghan Women Act and urge them to co-sponsor this important bill. You can find your Representative's contact information on the Internet at
   www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.
   
   Sample phone script:
   
   Hello, my name is ____________________ and I am calling from
   _________(name of town)__________ in your district to urge the Representative to
   co-sponsor and support the Access for Afghan Women Act, H.R. 3342.
   
   It is very important to me that women are involved in the peace building process and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. Women need to be at the negotiating table, as well as at the center of U.S. development programs. I hope the Representative will agree with me that Afghanistan can not truly build a representative government or a peaceful country unless women, who are more than half of the population, are directly involved in designing Afghanistan's future. The United States, as a global leader, is the only country that can ensure that this happens. Thank you for your time.
   
   
2. Send an Email to your Member of Congress
   
   Please follow up your phone call with an email to your Member of
   Congress. Below is a sample letter that you can cut and paste into your personal email to ensure that your Representative gets the message.
   
   Sample email:
   
   Dear Representative/Senator ____________________:
   
   I am writing to urge you to support the Access for Afghan Women Act,
   H.R. 3342. This bill will ensure that the women of Afghanistan are truly
   included in all U.S. peace-building and reconstruction efforts.
   
   Before 1996, the women of Afghanistan could exercise their basic
   rights. They made up seventy percent of teachers, nurses, doctors, and small business owners. Currently, over ninety percent of Afghan men and women believe that women should have access to education and work, freedom of expression, legal protection, and government participation.
   
   The Access for Afghan Women Act ensures that women are consulted and included in peace negotiations and that women's full range of human rights are part of any new constitution of Afghanistan. The bill also makes certain that the United States' tax dollars sent to Afghanistan will really reach and help women.
   
   These goals are of utmost importance to me as the U.S. continues its work in Afghanistan. I urge you to co-sponsor and support the Access for Afghan Women Act.
   
   Thank you,

General Assembly
From the Minutes of the 199th General Assembly (1987):

"The Convention [CEDAW] calls for

• declaring the equality of women and men;
• ensuring the full development and advancement of women;
• modifying cultural and social patterns;
• guaranteeing the right to vote and to engage in political activity;
• providing equal access to all forms of education;
• paying equal wages for equal work;
• making available health services, including family planning;
• providing equality before the law, as well as in banking, securing of mortgages, and in owning property. . ." (p.583).

The 199th General Assembly affirmed support for the calls of the Convention (Minutes, p. 72) and directed that all Presbyterians contact their senators, requesting them to make necessary steps to see that the Convention was ratified by the U.S. and that the calls are carried out.

The Convention was reaffirmed by the 200th General Assembly (1988, p. 685).