31 October 2001
Text: Relief Bill for Afghan Women, Children Put on Senate Calendar
(S. 1573 to authorize assistance for Afghan women, children) (1210)
The Senate took up the issue of educational and health care assistance
for the women and children of Afghanistan October 30.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson introduced S. 1573 October 25. The
bill's co-sponsors included the other 12 female senators. The Senate
has placed the legislation on its calendar for consideration.
The proposed legislation says that the President is authorized "to
provide educational and health care assistance for the women and
children living in Afghanistan and as refugees in neighboring
countries."
S. 1573 would make funds available for such activities from "Acts
making appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and
other related programs for fiscal years after fiscal year 2001 under
'Child Survival and Health Programs Fund', 'UNICEF', 'Immunizations',
'Safe Injections', 'Maternal Health, Medical Equipment, Women in
Development Fund', 'Children's Basic Education', and 'Refugee
Assistance.'"
The proposed legislation would also make money available for helping
the Afghan women and children from funds made available under the 2001
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from and
Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States.
S. 1573 notes that Afghanistan has one of the highest infant (165 of
1000) and child (257 of 1000) mortality rates in the world.
The proposed bill points out that under Taliban rule only 5 percent of
rural and 39 percent of urban Afghans have access to safe drinking
water, and that while the Taliban regime supports the terrorist
organization al Qaida, an estimated 42 percent of all deaths in
Afghanistan are due to diarrheal diseases caused by contaminated food
and water.
"Over one-third of Afghan children under 5 years of age suffer from
malnutrition, 85,000 of whom die annually," the bill's authors said.
Before the Taliban took control of Kabul, the proposed legislation
says, "schools were coeducational, with women accounting for 70
percent of the teaching force."
In addition, women represented about 50 percent of the civil service
corps, and 40 percent of the city's physicians were women, S. 1573
says.
"Today, the Taliban prohibits women from working as teachers, doctors,
and in any other occupation," the bill says.
Following is the text of S. 1573 from the Congressional Record:
(begin text)
Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001
Placed on the Calendar in the Senate
S 1573 PCS
Calendar No. 203
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1573
To authorize the provision of educational and health care assistance
to the women and children of Afghanistan.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 25, 2001
Mrs. HUTCHISON (for herself, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mrs. BOXER, Ms. CANTWELL,
Mrs. CARNAHAN, Mrs. CLINTON, Ms. COLLINS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Ms.
LANDRIEU, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. SNOWE, and Ms. STABENOW)
introduced the following bill; which was read the first time
October 30, 2001
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
A BILL
To authorize the provision of educational and health care assistance
to the women and children of Afghanistan.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of
2001'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In Afghanistan, Taliban restrictions on women's participation in
society make it nearly impossible for women to exercise their basic
human rights. The Taliban restrictions on Afghan women's freedom of
expression, association, and movement deny women full participation in
society and, consequently, from effectively securing basic access to
work, education, and health care.
(2) Afghanistan has one of the highest infant (165 of 1000) and child
(257 of 1000) mortality rates in the world.
(3) Only 5 percent of rural and 39 percent of urban Afghans have
access to safe drinking water.
(4) It is estimated that 42 percent of all deaths in Afghanistan are
due to diarrheal diseases caused by contaminated food and water.
(5) Over one-third of Afghan children under 5 years of age suffer from
malnutrition, 85,000 of whom die annually.
(6) Seventy percent of the health care system in Afghanistan is
dependent on foreign assistance.
(7) As of May 1998, only 20 percent of hospital medical and surgical
beds dedicated to adults were available for women, and thousands of
Afghan women and girls are routinely denied health care.
(8) Women are forbidden to leave their homes without being escorted by
a male relative. This prevents many women from seeking basic
necessities like health care and food for their children. Doctors,
virtually all of whom are male, are also not permitted to provide
certain types of care not deemed appropriate by the Taliban.
(9) Before the Taliban took control of Kabul, schools were
coeducational, with women accounting for 70 percent of the teaching
force. Women represented about 50 percent of the civil service corps,
and 40 percent of the city's physicians were women. Today, the Taliban
prohibits women from working as teachers, doctors, and in any other
occupation.
(10) The Taliban prohibit girls and women from attending school. In
1998, the Taliban ordered the closing of more than 100 privately
funded schools where thousands of young women and girls were receiving
education and training in skills that would have helped them support
themselves and their families.
(11) Of the many tens of thousands of war widows in Afghanistan, many
are forced to beg for food and to sell their possessions because they
are not allowed to work.
(12) Resistance movements courageously continue to educate Afghan
girls in secrecy and in foreign countries against Taliban law.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL- Subject to subsection (b), the President is
authorized, on such terms and conditions as the President may
determine, to provide educational and health care assistance for the
women and children living in Afghanistan and as refugees in
neighboring countries.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION- (1) In providing assistance under subsection (a),
the President shall ensure that such assistance is provided in a
manner that protects and promotes the human rights of all people in
Afghanistan, utilizing indigenous institutions and nongovernmental
organizations, especially women's organizations, to the extent
possible.
(2) Beginning 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and at
least annually for the 2 years thereafter, the President shall submit
a report to the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations
and the Committee on International Relations of the House of
Representatives describing the activities carried out under this Act
and otherwise describing the condition and status of women and
children in Afghanistan and the persons in refugee camps while United
States aid is given to displaced Afghans.
(c) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- Amounts made available under Acts making
appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and other
related programs for fiscal years after fiscal year 2001 under `Child
Survival and Health Programs Fund', `UNICEF', `Immunizations', `Safe
Injections', `Maternal Health, Medical Equipment, Women in Development
Fund', `Children's Basic Education', and `Refugee Assistance', or
other appropriate programs, and amounts made available under the 2001
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from and
Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States, shall be available
to carry out this Act.
(end text)
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