IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 187

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States

should seek to prevent any Taliban-led government in Afghanistan from

obtaining a seat in the United Nations, and should refuse to recognize

any Afghan government, while gross violations of human rights persist

against women and girls there.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 25, 1999

Mrs. MALONEY of New York (for herself and Mr. ROHRABACHER) submitted

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that

the United States should seek to prevent any Talibanled government in Afghanistan from obtaining a seat

in the United Nations, and should refuse to recognize

any Afghan government, while gross violations of human

rights persist against women and girls there.

1 Whereas millions of women and girls living under Taliban

2 rule in Afghanistan are denied their basic human

3 rights;

4 Whereas according to the Department of State and inter5 national human rights organizations, the Taliban con-
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1 tinues to commit widespread and well-documented

2 human rights abuses, in gross violation of internation3 ally accepted norms;

4 Whereas, according to the United States Department of

5 State Country Report on Human Rights Practices

6 (hereafter ‘‘1998 State Department Human Rights

7 Report’’), violence against women in Afghanistan oc8 curs frequently, including beatings, rapes, forced mar9 riages, disappearances, kidnapings, and killings;

10 Whereas women and girls under Taliban rule are generally

11 barred from working, going to school, leaving their

12 homes without an immediate male family member as

13 chaperone, and visiting doctors, hospitals or clinics;

14 Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

15 Rights Report, gender restrictions by the Taliban con16 tinue to interfere with the delivery of humanitarian

17 assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan;

18 Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

19 Rights Report, under Taliban rule women are forced

20 to don a head-to-toe garment known as a burqa, which

21 has only a mesh screen for vision, and many women

22 found in public not wearing a burqa, or wearing a

23 burqa that does not properly cover the ankles, are

24 beaten by Taliban militiamen;
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•HRES 187 IH

1 Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

2 Rights Report, some poor women under Taliban rule

3 cannot afford the cost of a burqa and thus are forced

4 to remain at home or risk beatings if they go outside

5 the home without one;

6 Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

7 Rights Report, the lack of a burqa has resulted in the

8 inability of some women under Taliban rule to get nec9 essary medical care because they cannot leave home;

10 Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

11 Rights Report, women under Taliban rule reportedly

12 have been beaten if their shoe heels click when they

13 walk;

14 Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

15 Rights Report, under Taliban rule women in homes

16 must not be visible from the street, and houses with

17 female occupants must have their windows painted

18 over;

19 Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

20 Rights Report, under Taliban rule women are not al21 lowed to drive, and taxi drivers reportedly have been

22 beaten if they take unescorted women as passengers;

23 Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

24 Rights Report, women under Taliban rule are forbid25 den to enter mosques or other places of worship; and
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•HRES 187 IH

1 Whereas women and girls of all ages under Taliban rule

2 have suffered needlessly and even died from curable

3 illness because they have been turned away from

4 health care facilities because of their gender: Now,

5 therefore, be it

6 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep7 resentatives that—

8 (1) the President should instruct the United

9 States Representative to the United Nations to use

10 all appropriate means to prevent any Taliban-led

11 government in Afghanistan from obtaining the seat

12 in the United Nations General Assembly reserved for

13 Afghanistan so long as gross violations of inter14 nationally recognized human rights against women

15 and girls persist; and

16 (2) the United States should refuse to recognize

17 any government in Afghanistan which is not taking

18 actions to achieve the following goals in Afghanistan:

19 (A) The effective participation of women in

20 all civil, economic, and social life.

21 (B) The right of women to work.

22 (C) The right of women and girls to an

23 education without discrimination and the re24 opening of schools to women and girls at all lev25 els of education.
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1 (D) The freedom of movement of women

2 and girls.

3 (E) Equal access of women and girls to

4 health facilities.

5 (F) Equal access of women and girls to

6 humanitarian aid.

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