The Wall Street Journal - Afghan Women Worry as U.S. Departure Looms

Op-Ed

By Reps. Martha Roby and Niki Tsongas

In many ways, Herat University is like any other college campus. Located in an active commercial center, the institution has helped create opportunities for thousands of young people. But unlike most college students, almost half of Herat's student body learns and lives knowing that their access to education--and most of the basic freedoms they enjoy-- could be suddenly ripped away.

The bustling city of Herat, Afghanistan, near the Iranian border, has become a haven for youthful energy and modern thinking. Here, young women especially have thrived, taking advantage of previously nonexistent opportunities in the city and at the university, where they make up 40% of the student body, studying for careers including medicine and academia. It is a far cry from the historic and widespread subjugation of Afghan women by the Taliban.

This week the White House announced that it is considering several options in preparation for the departure of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, which range from leaving a residual advisory force to full troop withdrawal. As the administration works to bring home our servicemen and women, Afghan women find themselves at a critical juncture. The pullout has many dangers for Afghans and for the legacy of American sacrifice, but leaving millions of Afghan women exposed to a possibly resurgent Taliban would be especially lamentable.

The gains in women's equality were achieved by several means: Afghan officials who bucked fundamentalist hardliners; courageous Afghan women who braved reprisal to enter the male-dominated political, military, business and academic worlds; and dogged support from U.S. and international coalition forces to help build up women's confidence and create opportunities.

After more than a decade of war, the U.S. and its allies can point to significant progress toward equal rights for women as a remarkable achievement in Afghanistan. Female leaders have risen to positions of power in the Afghan parliament and government agencies. Girls are being educated in droves and looking ahead to college and careers. And in 2009, President Hamid Karzai signed legislation criminalizing violence against women and establishing basic legal protections for them.

But even now, there are reports of an anti-equality movement gaining traction in the Afghan government. Concern is mounting that the drawdown of coalition forces will leave a vacuum in which Afghan women in Herat and elsewhere see their rights vanish. One of America's biggest successes would quickly spiral into failure.

That's why Afghan and American women leaders are working to prevent backsliding.

In May, our bipartisan group of six U.S. congresswomen visited several locations around Afghanistan. We were the first congressional delegation ever to spend time in Herat. There and elsewhere our delegation met with an impressive group of Afghan women, including cadets at the country's military academy, staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, university students, government officials and community leaders.

Their stunning accounts of life in Afghanistan before and after Taliban rule helped to personalize something we already knew: Afghan women are vital to the stability of their country. Countless studies have demonstrated that gains for women have a direct positive effect on sustainable development, economic growth and peace. Women's equality is more than a moral issue: The investment in women and girls is a matter of national security for Afghanistan and America.

The U.S. military and the Obama administration must formulate a comprehensive action plan for the preservation of women's rights after the pullout. America must utilize its influence to support free and fair elections, with women fully participating. We must also support the expansion of opportunities for Afghan women especially in government.

In addition, U.S. and international monetary contributions to Afghanistan should be set aside for programs and organizations that promote women's rights. The Afghan government does not allocate much funding to these efforts, so reinforcement from the outside is a worthwhile cause.

Ultimately Afghanistan must carry the baton on this issue. But having elevated women's place in Afghan society anathema to the Taliban--the U.S. must depart the country in a responsible way that secures these gains. When history grades America's involvement in Afghanistan, the status of Afghan women in the coming years will weigh heavily on that judgment.

Ms. Roby (R., Ala.) and Ms. Tsongas (D., Mass.) are the chairwoman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Source