IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 26

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the Taliban-led Government

in Afghanistan.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 8, 2001

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

HOYER) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the Talibanled Government in Afghanistan.

Whereas millions of women and girls living under Taliban

rule Afghanistan are denied their basic human rights;

Whereas according to the Department of State and international human rights organizations, the Taliban continues to commit widespread and well-documented human

rights abuses, in gross violation of internationally accepted norms;

Whereas, according to the United States Department of State

Country Report on Human Rights Practices (hereinafter

the ‘‘1998 State Department Human Rights Report’’),

violence against women in Afghanistan occurs frequently,
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including beatings, rapes, forced marriages, disappearances, kidnapings, and killings;

Whereas women and girls under Taliban rule are generally

barred from working, going to school, leaving their homes

without an immediate male family member as chaperone,

and visiting doctors, hospitals, or clinics;

Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

Rights Report, gender restrictions by the Taliban continue to interfere with the delivery of humanitarian assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan;

Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

Rights Report, under Taliban rule women are forced to

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

only a mesh screen for vision, and many women found in

public not wearing a burqa, or wearing a burqa that does

not properly cover the ankles, are beaten by Taliban militiamen;

Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

Rights Report, some poor women under Taliban rule cannot afford the cost of a burqa and thus are forced to remain at home or risk beatings if they go outside the

home without one;

Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

Rights Report, the lack of a burqa has resulted in the inability of some women under Taliban rule to get necessary medical care because they cannot leave home;

Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

Rights Report, women under Taliban rule reportedly have

been beaten if their shoe heels click when they walk;

Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

Rights Report, under Taliban rule women in homes must
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not be visible from the street, and houses with female occupants must have their windows painted over;

Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

Rights Report, under Taliban rule women are not allowed

to drive, and taxi drivers reportedly have been beaten if

they take unescorted women as passengers;

Whereas according to the 1998 State Department Human

Rights Report, women under Taliban rule are forbidden

to enter mosques or other places of worship; and

Whereas women and girls of all ages under Taliban rule have

suffered needlessly and even died from curable illness because they have been turned away from health care facilities because of their gender: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) the President should instruct the United

4 States Representative to the United Nations to use

5 all appropriate means to prevent any Taliban-led

6 government in Afghanistan from obtaining the seat

7 in the United Nations General Assembly reserved for

8 Afghanistan so long as gross violations of inter9 nationally recognized human rights against women

10 and girls persist; and

11 (2) the United States should refuse to recognize

12 any government in Afghanistan which is not taking

13 actions to achieve the following goals in Afghanistan:

14 (A) The effective participation of women in

15 all civic, economic, and social life.
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1 (B) The right of women to work.

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

3 education without discrimination and the re4 opening of schools to women and girls at all lev5 els of education.

6 (D) The freedom of movement for women

7 and girls.

8 (E) Equal access for women and girls to

9 health facilities.

10 (F) Equal access for women and girls to

11 humanitarian aid.

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