Relief Bill for Afghan Women, Children Put on Senate Calendar

S. 1573 to Authorize Assistance for Afghan Women, Children

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:

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 200."

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

-- 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.

-- Afghanistan has one of the highest infant (165 of 1000) and child (257 of 1000) mortality
rates in the world.

-- Only 5 percent of rural and 39 percent of urban Afghans have access to safe drinking water.

-- It is estimated that 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.

-- Seventy percent of the health care system in Afghanistan is dependent on foreign assistance.

-- 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.

-- 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.

-- 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.

-- 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.

-- 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.

-- Resistance movements courageously continue to educate Afghan girls in secrecy and in
foreign countries against Taliban law.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.

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.

IMPLEMENTATION --

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.

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.

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.