# Plain Language Summary: Protect Women's and Girls' Rights in Afghanistan Act of 2021

This bill is Congress's way of saying the United States should continue protecting women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan even after American troops leave the country. The bill expresses serious concern that if the Taliban regains power, Afghan women and girls could lose the freedoms and opportunities they've gained over the past twenty years. Before the U.S. military involvement that began in 2001, the Taliban severely restricted women—banning them from school and most jobs, forcing them to wear burqas, and requiring them to have a male relative with them in public. Since then, millions of Afghan girls have gone to school, women have become teachers, judges, police officers, and politicians, and 25 percent of Afghanistan's parliament is female. The bill essentially says the U.S. government should do everything it can to make sure those gains don't disappear.

The bill sets out specific actions the U.S. should take to protect Afghan women's rights going forward. Most importantly, it says the U.S. should refuse to give economic aid to any Afghan government—including one controlled by or including the Taliban—that denies women basic rights like access to education, healthcare, or jobs. American officials are also instructed to use their influence at the United Nations and in direct negotiations to push for women's rights protections. The bill also calls for identifying and prosecuting people who commit serious crimes against women, like murder or severe domestic violence.

To make sure this actually happens, the bill requires the Secretary of State to report to Congress every six months through 2024 about how Afghan women and girls are doing. These reports need to cover whether women have access to education, jobs, and healthcare, and whether the Taliban is keeping any promises it made about protecting women's rights. This creates a way for Congress to track whether the policy is working and hold the government accountable for following through on these commitments to Afghan women.

Protect Women's and Girls’ Rights in Afghanistan Act of 2021

Slotkin, Elissa

Protect Women's and Girls' Rights in Afghanistan Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of State to periodically report to Congress on the conditions of women and girls in Afghan civil society following the departure of U.S. and NATO forces. The reports shall also assess the status of assurances made by the Taliban related to preserving the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.