AFGHANISTAN: Fears for Women if U.S. Leaves Afghanistan

Amid rising opposition to the war in Afghanistan and speculation about a U.S. withdrawal, debate has begun over what will happen to Afghan women and girls should U.S. troops leave. From former first lady Laura Bush to top California female lawmakers including Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, women leaders in America have been ardent champions of Afghan women since the U.S. invaded the nation in 2001, toppling the Taliban after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The question they face now is whether the U.S. presence is making matters worse, or is it the only thing standing in the way of a reversion to Taliban oppression.

"The left is having trouble with this because on the one hand they are opposed to the war, violence and troop and civilian deaths, said Caroline Wadhams, director for South Asia Security Studies at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "On the other hand, there are major human rights implications with our withdrawal."

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met in Kabul with Afghan women leaders and devoted part of her address to the issue before a high-profile conference on the country's future, signaling that women's rights are a priority to the administration. State Department officials told reporters in a recent off-the-record briefing that the administration will insist that women maintain a seat at the table during political reintegration efforts that will accompany a troop drawdown.

Human rights groups have grown increasingly alarmed, however, as Afghan President Hamid Karzai maneuvers toward reconciling with Taliban elements. Last year, he signed the Shia Personal Status Law, which forbids women from refusing sex with their husbands and from leaving the house without permission.

Rep. Barbara Lee, an Oakland Democrat and outspoken advocate of a troop withdrawal, said the U.S. troop presence has not stabilized the country or safeguarded Afghan women's rights. She called for stronger diplomatic efforts and better support for the aid groups that are expected to fill the void left if troops leave. The sooner they do, she argued, the more stable the situation for women will become.

"Women's rights throughout the world, in Somalia, Iran and Afghanistan, are of extreme concern to me but I don't believe increased militarization in Afghanistan will help secure women's rights," Lee said. "The security of women in Afghanistan is more dangerous with the troop presence. I've talked to several women from Afghanistan, and the results for them have not been good because of this war, some worse for women in certain parts."

After visiting Afghanistan last May, Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, said civilian aid can help ensure women's progress, pointing to "engagement teams" working in the country.

In February, Boxer chaired a hearing on the issue and has worked with Feinstein to improve conditions for women. Today, they are divided on how fast troops should withdraw and what will happen to Afghan women and girls if they do.

Boxer opposes an open-ended troop commitment. Like Pelosi, she wants to bolster civilian capacity in the government to protect women.

"I have worked to strengthen nongovernmental organizations run by Afghan women so they can continue serving their communities long after U.S. troops have left," Boxer said in a statement.

A more hawkish Feinstein said she could support adding more troops if Gen. David Petraeus, the new commander in Afghanistan, requests them. She said the focus should be on stabilizing the country.

While many experts have predicted that civilian programs for women will suffer if troops withdraw, they acknowledge that many of these efforts operate out of Kabul and never venture into remote rural regions. In a country as large as Afghanistan, the reality for many women is that the U.S. troop presence has changed nothing.

"The troop drawdown will not affect women and girls at all in certain parts of the country," said Isobel Coleman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington, D.C., think tank. "This is because nothing has changed at all since the days of the Taliban in those areas."

When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 1996, it closed schools and universities to women, banned women from working and prohibited them from leaving their homes unaccompanied by a male relative.

The Taliban prohibited male physicians from examining women and girls, while banning female doctors and nurses, who made up 40 percent of Afghanistan's medical staff.

Since then, women have been allowed to work and many girls attend school. Thanks to a constitutional guarantee of women's political participation, the parliament is one-quarter female. Women's rights groups are active in the country.

Yet much of this progress has been accompanied by violence, leaving doubt about the depth of institutional and cultural change. Conservatives have gained power in parliament and critics accuse Karzai of sacrificing women to political deal-making.

A 65-page report released last week by the international advocacy group Human Rights Watch found evidence that the Karzai government is willing to sacrifice women to its reintegration plans with insurgent forces.

Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a U.S. advocacy group that is working in Afghanistan, conceded that change has not been as fast as she would like but said life for women has markedly improved.

"Those cases of young girls having acid thrown in their faces because they attended school where beyond horrific, but what gives me hope is the stories of human determination and strength," she said. "Those girls were back in school two months later because they understand that their future depends on it."

Photo: Rodrigo Abd, Associated Press