Lynn C. Woolsey: “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a new ``Women's Action Plan'' for Afghanistan last week. I want to praise…”

“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a new ``Women's Action Plan'' for Afghanistan last week. I want to praise Secretary Clinton for this critically important initiative because I believe that improving women's rights is one of the important keys to peace in Afghanistan and in many other parts of the world as well. The action plan includes the following initiatives: improved security for women in Afghanistan; provide girls and women with better education; expand women's access to judicial institutions; improve women's health care; expand economic development opportunities for women; and increase women's participation in the political process in every level of government. Mr. Speaker, there is a great need for those initiatives because women's rights have been ignored or destroyed in Afghanistan for many years, especially under Taliban rule. In Afghanistan, the lives of girls and women are at risk every single day because many laws actually don't exist to protect women, and there are many laws that actually discriminate against women.”