I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 947 
To empower women in Afghanistan, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2007 
Mrs. MALONEY of New York (for herself, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. 
ABERCROMBIE, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. WOOLSEY, 
Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, 
Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON 
of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To empower women in Afghanistan, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Afghan Women Em-
powerment Act of 2007’’. 
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 and fundamental freedoms, in-
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cluding the rights to life, work, education, health 
care, movement, expression, and religion. 
(2) Many 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 maternal mortality rates in the world, with 
an estimated 1,600 deaths per every 100,000 live 
births. 
(4) Despite efforts by the United States Gov-
ernment 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. Ap-
proximately 80 percent of Afghan women are illit-
erate. 
(5) Today, women and girls in Afghanistan still 
face oppression resulting from violence and intimida-
tion by the Taliban, other religious extremists, and 
militia groups within their communities. In recent 
months, there has been a significant increase in the 
number of attacks against girls’ schools in an at-
tempt to prevent women and girls from regaining 
their rights and freedoms. 
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(6) According to the United States Commission 
on International Religious Freedom, the absence of 
clear protections for the right to freedom of religion 
or belief for individual Afghan citizens has resulted 
in a growing number of criminal prosecutions and 
other official actions against individuals, including 
women, for exercising their basic rights. 
(7) The strengthening of institutions and other 
actors, such as nongovernmental organizations, in 
Afghanistan is essential to building a civil society 
and holding the Government of Afghanistan to its 
international obligations under the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other 
international instruments to protect and ensure the 
rights of women. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN AF-
GHANISTAN. 
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 is essential to the 
reconstruction of a stable and democratic Afghani-
stan, and to achieve such a reconstruction, the 
United States Government must continue to commit 
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resources to advance the rights of women through-
out Afghanistan; 
(2) the United States Government should pro-
vide strong support for the Afghan Ministry of 
Women’s Affairs and the Afghan Independent 
Human Rights Commission, both of which were cre-
ated by the Agreement on Provisional Agreements in 
Afghanistan Pending the Establishment of Perma-
nent Governing Institutions, done in Bonn, Decem-
ber 5, 2001 (commonly known as the ‘‘Bonn Agree-
ment’’) 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 non-
governmental organizations, particularly Afghan 
women-led nonprofit organizations; and 
(4) grants and assistance to Afghanistan should 
be conditioned upon the Government of Afghanistan 
adhering to international standards for women’s 
rights and human rights, including the internation-
ally recognized right to freedom of thought, con-
science, and religion or belief. 
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SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN AND GIRLS. 
Section 103(a)(7) of the Afghanistan Freedom Sup-
port 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 mor-
bidity; 
‘‘(ii) to establish and expand pro-
grams to provide services to women and 
girls suffering from mental health prob-
lems, such as depression, anxiety, and 
posttraumatic stress disorder; 
‘‘(iii) to expand immunization pro-
grams for women and children; 
‘‘(iv) to protect and provide services to 
vulnerable populations, including widows, 
orphans, and women head of households; 
‘‘(v) to establish primary and sec-
ondary schools for girls that include math-
ematics, science, and languages in their 
primary curriculum; 
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‘‘(vi) to expand technical and voca-
tional training programs to enable women 
to support themselves and their families; 
‘‘(vii) to maintain and expand adult 
literacy programs, including economic lit-
eracy programs that promote the well- 
being of women and their families; 
‘‘(viii) 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; 
‘‘(ix) 
to 
disseminate 
information 
throughout Afghanistan on the rights of 
women and on international standards for 
human rights; 
‘‘(x) to provide information and as-
sistance to enable women to exercise prop-
erty, inheritance, and voting rights, and to 
ensure equal access to the judicial system; 
‘‘(xi) to provide legal assistance to 
women who have suffered violations of 
their rights; 
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