Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) signed on to a letter asking President Joe Biden to help preserve the “basic human rights” of Afghan women and girls. The bipartisan letter has been signed by every female United States Senator.
All 24 female senators have a message to @POTUS: We must develop an interagency plan to preserve the political, economic, social, and basic human rights of Afghan women and girls. https://t.co/OGwHQDanaY
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) November 4, 2021
The senators wrote, “In the wake of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, we write to urge your Administration to develop an interagency plan to preserve the political, economic, social, and basic human rights of Afghan women and girls.”
They asked that Biden take action to support women and girls in Afghanistan by resisting the Taliban.
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) initiated the movement within the Senate to create an “interagency plan” that “preserves the political, social, economic and basic human rights of Afghan women and girls.”
The letter explained how the “Taliban regime” will negatively impact the lives of Afghan women. They wrote, “Last year an estimated 3.5 million girls were in school, with 100,000 women enrolled in public and private universities. Women also began to succeed in business and government…However, lacking a legitimate Afghan government and military forces to protect them, women and girls are now suffering the predations of a Taliban regime with a track record of brutalizing, isolating, and denying them life and liberty.”
The senators reminded Biden of his commitment to demand that the Taliban uphold the civil rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
“You have committed to press the Taliban to uphold the rights of women and girls, and you have stated that America will maintain an enduring partnership with the people of Afghanistan resisting Taliban rule,” the elected officials wrote.
They touched on the Taliban’s failure to keep its promise of including women in government and discussed the beatings and killings of Afghan women as well as their inability to leave home without a “male guardian.”
They pledged their assistance to helping the Afghan women, saying that they request a briefing on the president’s plan.
“We will advise, support, and enable those efforts through legislation and engagement with your Administration. Afghan women and girls need our action now. We request and look forward to a briefing from the Administration on your plan,” the letter said.
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tammy Baldwin” by Tammy Baldwin.
