ACTION ALERT! Support the Access for Afghan Women Act of 2001(Archive)

On Monday, November 19, Representatives Constance Morella (R-MD) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced into Congress the Access for Afghan Women Act of 2001. 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.
The Access for Afghan Women Act requires the U.S. government to:
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. Ensure that the full range of human rights of women, as described in the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 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. Provide financial and programmatic assistance for the efforts of Afghan women’s organizations that represent the various ethnic groups. Provide financial assistance for primary, secondary, and higher education for all individuals in Afghanistan. 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.Provide assistance to rehabilitate children affected by the conflict, particularly child soldiers. Take all necessary steps to protect women refugees in camps, urban areas, and villages from violence. 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.Promote multi-year women-centered economic development programs, including programs to assist widows and female heads of household.Increase women’s access to and ownership of productive assets such as land, agricultural in puts, and microfinance, and property.For more information on this bill, including contact information for your representatives in Congress, visit Women’s Edge.