How to Secure the Gains Afghan Women Have Made
The women of Afghanistan today aren’t the same women of 2001. They’ve expanded their access to health care, education, justice, and political power. As Inclusive Security Action’s Michelle Barsa noted Tuesday in a congressional hearing, “Afghan women weren’t handed progress; they fought for it.”
As we approach the 2014 deadline for the security transition, organizations like ours that have worked in Afghanistan over the past decade share concerns about the erosion of gains that Afghan women have made.
Michelle testified Tuesday that the US and the international community must prioritize women’s leadership in the institutions mandated to protect those gains, such as the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The hearing, convened by Chairman Martha Roby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Niki Tsongas (D-MA), was before the House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. Read Michelle’s testimony here [PDF] or watch it here
The women of Afghanistan today aren’t the same women of 2001. They’ve expanded their access to health care, education, justice, and political power. As Inclusive Security Action’s Michelle Barsa noted Tuesday in a congressional hearing, “Afghan women weren’t handed progress; they fought for it.”
As we approach the 2014 deadline for the security transition, organizations like ours that have worked in Afghanistan over the past decade share concerns about the erosion of gains that Afghan women have made.
Michelle testified Tuesday that the US and the international community must prioritize women’s leadership in the institutions mandated to protect those gains, such as the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The hearing, convened by Chairman Martha Roby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Niki Tsongas (D-MA), was before the House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. Read Michelle’s testimony here [PDF] or watch it here
