Report Illustrates Quality of Life Has Improved for Afghan Women, Children, and Refugees

The U.S. Department of State released earlier this month a report to Congress, ”U.S. Support for Afghan Women, Children and Refugees – June 2003”, as mandated by the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001.

The job of creating an environment that allows Afghan women to participate fully in the political, economic and social life of liberated Afghanistan is far from over; but this report shows that progress is well underway. Reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan have improved the daily lives of Afghan women, children and refugees.

The report describes U.S. policies and programs and the political and historic context for today’s Afghanistan. A detailed appendix provides specific information about U.S. programs that benefit Afghan women, children and refugees, listing each project’s scope, funding and implementing partners. Overall U.S. humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan will be close to $2 billion for the FY 02 through FY 03 period, totally separate from the cost of continuing military and related support operations.

Access to education is key to sustained progress for women and girls. Many more females are attending school this year than at any point in Afghanistan’s history. Estimates are that last year as many as one-third of the 3 million students who returned to school were girls. This year the percentage is even higher, and the Ministry of Education aims to have girls make up 50 percent of the student enrollment. Now in Afghanistan we are seeing six- year-old girls along with young teens attending first grade, as older girls strive to make up for lost years when they were barred from education by the Taliban.

Institution building, critical for sustainable progress, continues as well. President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai created the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council in January 2002 to stimulate private and public activities that will ensure Afghan women and children gain the skills and education denied them under years of Taliban misrule. Toward that end, the Council met in Kabul in January 2003 to craft an agenda for future actions, and met again in Washington, D.C., July 15-16 2003.

The entire report can be found at www.state.gov/g/wi. Copies can also be obtained from the Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues.   For further information about this report, please contact Susan Hovanec, Office of International Women’s Issues (202) 312-9675.