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 Inter-
national Relations
RESOLUTION
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.
Whereas millions of women and girls living under Taliban
rule in Afghanistan are denied their basic human
rights;
Whereas according to the Department of State and inter-
national human rights organizations, the Taliban con-
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tinues to commit widespread and well-documented
human rights abuses, in gross violation of internation-
ally accepted norms;
Whereas, according to the United States Department of
State Country Report on Human Rights Practices
(hereafter ‘‘1998 State Department Human Rights
Report’’), violence against women in Afghanistan oc-
curs frequently, including beatings, rapes, forced mar-
riages, 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 con-
tinue 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;
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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 nec-
essary 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 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 al-
lowed 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 forbid-
den to enter mosques or other places of worship; and
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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
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that—
(1) the President should instruct the United
States Representative to the United Nations to use
all appropriate means to prevent any Taliban-led
government in Afghanistan from obtaining the seat
in the United Nations General Assembly reserved for
Afghanistan so long as gross violations of inter-
nationally recognized human rights against women
and girls persist; and
(2) the United States should refuse to recognize
any government in Afghanistan which is not taking
actions to achieve the following goals in Afghanistan:
(A) The effective participation of women in
all civil, economic, and social life.
(B) The right of women to work.
(C) The right of women and girls to an
education without discrimination and the re-
opening of schools to women and girls at all lev-
els of education.
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(D) The freedom of movement of women
and girls.
(E) Equal access of women and girls to
health facilities.
(F) Equal access of women and girls to
humanitarian aid.
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