Democratic Women’s Caucus Statement in Support of Afghan Women and Girls

November 3, 2021
Press Release
CONTACT: Michelle Moreno-Silva
 
Washington, D.C. – Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Co-Chairs Congresswomen Jackie Speier (CA-14), Lois Frankel (FL-21), and Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement in support of Afghan women and girls.
 
“As if reports of the Taliban murdering Afghan women for serving their communities as judges, activists, athletes, and artists weren’t horrific enough, we are now learning that Afghan parents are being forced to sell or trade their children to settle debts with lenders. Their debts and desperation are due entirely to the Taliban’s destruction of the country’s economic and governmental systems,” said the Members. “Afghanistan will never prosper as long as women are denied participation in all aspects of society, controlled through violent means, and stripped of their voices, basic human rights, and dignity. Now, more than ever, we stand with all Afghan women and girls in their struggle for freedom, security, and a life free from oppression. We urge the Biden Administration to leverage the full diplomatic weight of the U.S. government to encourage the Taliban to preserve women’s rights and treat women humanely. We also urge our colleagues to pass H.R. 4736, the Improving Access for Afghan Refugees Act, to provide women who wish to leave Afghanistan a pathway to refugee protections in the United States.”
 
DWC leadership, led by DWC Co-Chair Congresswoman Jackie Speier, introduced the Improving Access for Afghan Refugees Act, which would designate Afghans who are particularly at risk of persecution, including human rights defenders, civil servants, officials, journalists, women activists, and judicial workers, as a Priority 2 group of special humanitarian concern for the purposes of refugee processing. The DWC leadership offered this legislation as an amendment to the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which was adopted and passed the House on September 23, 2021.
 
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