Ya, just like this article on the poor unsuspecting women of Afghanistan. The government is donating Dodges to them? That's just great..what a treat, everyone in Afghanistan will get to know Little Earl personally!
Why doesn't Hummer go over and donate a few vehicles? It would be much safer, and they could take out a few of the macho men who want women to keep their faces covered and ignorant?
But don't get me started or I might get another E Mail I have to send to the FBI!
LOCAL COMMENT: A promise to Afghan women
Much progress, but still far to go
January 21, 2003
TIMOTHY J. MCBRIDE
I recently traveled to Kabul as part of a U.S. State Department delegation to participate in a meeting of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. The council is a public/private partnership created by President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai to promote Afghan women's rights, education and employment.
In Kabul, we saw firsthand some of the enormous progress Afghan women have made in the year since the Taliban was defeated. We were also able to sense many of the enormous challenges that remain.
Bush has pushed securing women's rights to the forefront as we, and our allies, work to rebuild Afghanistan. This progress could be lost if the international community fails to live up to its commitments to Afghanistan or loses interest as global attention is pulled to other parts of the world.
An interesting snapshot of the tug-of-war Afghan women are facing could be seen last September, when 14 female Afghan politicians met with Bush in Washington, D.C. Twelve months earlier, these women had not been allowed to leave their homes, much less work or participate in public life.
As pictures of the meeting circulated back in Afghanistan, however, there was a strong negative reaction from certain conservative elements of Afghan society over the fact that the women were not wearing their traditional head coverings. In a show of empowerment and self-confidence, the women faced their critics, defended their actions, and retained their positions in the government, save one woman who had previously announced her desire to step down.
Daily life is slowly improving for many women in Afghanistan. They are now nominally free to travel, work and go to school. They can now receive basic medical care, something almost unthinkable under the Taliban. In a country where only a year ago a woman could not walk down the street without a male relative by her side, there are now two female cabinet members in the interim government.
Yet many women, especially those outside the capital city of Kabul, continue to face harsh Taliban-era restrictions and mind-sets. Schoolgirls have been beaten for taking off their burqas, female teachers have been threatened, and women in one western city are forbidden to wear brightly colored clothing in public.
The United States alone has already committed more than $800 million to rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan for projects as varied as building roads, clearing land mines, promoting human rights, immunizing children, training teachers and re-establishing civic institutions. The president has committed another $3.3 billion to Afghan reconstruction over the next four years.
During our visit, the Women's Council presented $3.5 million in aid that will be used to build 14 women's resource centers offering social services, education and training, as well as print and video materials on women's rights. DaimlerChrysler, the company for which I work, is providing vehicles to the government of Afghanistan, instituting an auto mechanics' training program and a U.S.-Afghan student exchange program. Through the women's council, we will be providing grants to encourage entrepreneurship among Afghan women. Other U.S. companies are providing everything from computer equipment to school uniforms to on-site technical advice.
Even with these efforts, however, rebuilding Afghanistan will take time. More than that, it will take the constant attention and commitment of the international community to assure that this war-ravaged nation continues to progress. This is doubly true for the women of Afghanistan. Despite their enormous gains over the past year, discrimination continues to thrive in many areas of the country, especially those controlled by provincial warlords.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that the countries that treat women with dignity and give them opportunities to contribute to society are the ones that will be the most viable and capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st Century. The United States, through the leadership of President Bush and its allies, has committed itself to making sure that Afghanistan is one of those countries. This promise will be met only if we remain steadfast in our support. We cannot forget Afghanistan. We must not forget the women of Afghanistan.
TIMOTHY MCBRIDE is the Vice President of Washington affairs for DaimlerChrysler Corp. Write to him in care of the Free Press at 600 W. Fort Street, Detroit, MI 48226. |
