The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) hosted a bipartisan discussion on the future of democracy and women’s rights in Afghanistan on Friday, October 18th. The event was moderated by Nancy Lindborg, President of USIP; Rep. Susan Davis, Democratic Representative from California; and Rep. Martha Roby, Republican Representative from Alabama.
Rep. Davis addressed the room first, highlighting the importance of the bipartisan Mother’s Day trip that has occurred since the early 2000s. Davis explained the importance of how a steady, reliable recurring trip has shown improvement and growth in the rights of women in Afghanistan. Women there have been emboldened by the United States’ support for their underground movements and grateful for America’s role in helping to secure a place for Afghani women in their government. Davis also stressed the important role these Afghani women could play in peace negotiations with the Taliban and says their presence is critical if there is to be lasting substantial change in the country.
Rep. Roby followed Davis in addressing the room, echoing many of the aforementioned sentiments. Roby said the Mother’s Day trip was critical for Congresswomen and Senators to see the effect that policy created here in the U.S. has on the servicemembers deployed to the country, as well as the lives of Afghani nationals. The main point of Roby’s impassioned speech was that lasting peace cannot and will not be reached unless every party in Afghanistan is present at the peace negotiation tables, which includes women.
The speeches were then followed by an open Q+A session, with the first topic discussed being how have women’s rights in Afghanistan changed so far. Both Davis and Roby agreed that in the years since joining the trip they have seen more women risk their safety to visit and discuss how to move women’s rights policy forward. They also explained that women in the last few years have gained more visibility in jobs, security, and politics, which has helped exemplify a vast improvement in just a short period of time.
Other questions addressed were the viability of the Mother’s Day trips in the future – since both Rep. Davis and Rep. Roby are retiring this year, how to change the male-centric views some sectors of Afghani society hold, and the importance the role of education plays in Afghanistan. Davis and Roby acknowledged that education was a key factor in improving the future of women’s rights and democracy in the country. They maintained that education needed to start at a young age and should not just be geared towards girls, but also towards young men so that they could see the importance of a woman’s role in democracy. Davis and Roby answered that the continuation of the Mother’s Day trip would come from other Congresswomen seeing the direct impact it has on the lives of women in Afghanistan, and that once the newcomers make the first trip, they will want to continue its legacy. As a result, Davis and Roby remain hopeful that more women will join before they leave their elected positions.
The talk concluded on a hopeful note for both the future of women’s rights in Afghanistan and the existence of true bipartisan cooperation in Congress, even in an American political environment that can at times seem divisive.
Enter the text or HTML code here