117th CONGRESS 1st Session |
Recognizing the devastating attack on a girls’ school in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 8, 2021, and expressing solidarity with the Afghan people.
May 24, 2021
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Ms. Collins) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
Recognizing the devastating attack on a girls’ school in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 8, 2021, and expressing solidarity with the Afghan people.
Whereas, on May 8, 2021, a car bomb and several other mechanisms were detonated at the front gates of the Sayed Ul-Shuhada High School in Kabul, killing more than 85 people, many of whom were girls attending the school;
Whereas the attack took place as the girls and their families prepared to celebrate Eid al-Fitr;
Whereas the school provides education to the Dasht-e Barchi neighborhood, an underserved area of Kabul where many members of the Hazara minority community live;
Whereas the Hazara in Dasht-e Barchi have been the target of extremist violence for many years;
Whereas, on March 12, 2020, assailants attacked a maternity hospital in Dasht-e Barchi, killing 24 people including 2 newborn babies, mothers, and members of the hospital staff;
Whereas 1 of those killed in the attack on the hospital was Maryam Noorzad—
(1) who was a midwife serving the Hazara community;
(2) who dedicated her life to providing access to healthcare to women in remote parts of Afghanistan;
(3) who was murdered after refusing to leave the bedside of a patient in labor; and
(4) whose bravery was recognized by the Department of State with an honorary International Women of Courage award;
Whereas Afghan girls were restricted from accessing an education under the Taliban, forcing some girls to dress up as boys in order to attend secret schools and continue their education;
Whereas, according to a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence—
(1) there are approximately 3,500,000 girls among the 9,000,000 children who are enrolled in school in Afghanistan;
(2) only 17 percent of girls in rural parts of Afghanistan attend school, while 45 percent of girls in urban areas in Afghanistan attend school;
(3) 80 percent of Afghan women older than 15 years of age are illiterate; and
(4) schools are increasingly being forced to close due to rising insecurity;
Whereas the education of girls is a necessary requirement for any country to achieve long-term stability and peace;
Whereas the attack coincides with an escalation of violence in Afghanistan, perpetrated by the Taliban, the Islamic State of Iraq, and the Levant (ISIS) and other terrorist organizations; and
Whereas the recent escalation in violence has disproportionately impacted women, who have been targeted while working as reporters, administering vaccines, serving in prominent positions, and helping their communities: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
(1) extends its heartfelt condolences to, and stands with, the people of Afghanistan and the Hazara community;
(2) condemns all forms of violence against women and girls in Afghanistan;
(3) supports United States and international efforts to ensure that girls in Afghanistan are able to safely attend school;
(4) affirms that the United States should continue to provide assistance to support the rights of women and girls to achieve an education;
(5) calls on the Government of Afghanistan to support girls’ education and to ensure that girls are able to safely attend school;
(6) calls for international condemnation of violence against Afghan women and girls; and
(7) asks the international community to devote the resources and attention necessary to provide for the continued safe education of girls in Afghanistan.