Sec. 1209. Support for security of afghan women and girls
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Congress makes the following findings: Through the sacrifice and dedication of members of the Armed Forces, civilian personnel, and our Afghan partners as well as the American people’s generous investment, oppressive Taliban rule has given way to a nascent democracy in Afghanistan. It is in our national security interest to help prevent Afghanistan from ever again becoming a safe haven and training ground for international terrorism and to solidify and preserve the gains our men and women in uniform fought so hard to establish.
The United States through its National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security has made firm commitments to support the human rights of the women and girls of Afghanistan. The National Action Plan states that the engagement and protection of women as agents of peace and stability will be central to United States efforts to promote security, prevent, respond to, and resolve conflict, and rebuild societies . As stated in the Department of Defense’s October 2014 Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense and the International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF)maintain a robust program dedicated to improving the recruitment, retention, and treatment of women in the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and to improving the status of Afghan women in general . According to the Department of Defense’s October 2014 Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan, the Afghan MoI showed significant support for women in the MoI and is taking steps to protect and empower female police and female MoI staff . Although some positive steps have been made, progress remains slow to reach the MoI’s goal of recruiting 10,000 women in the Afghan National Police
(ANP)in the next 10 years. According to Inclusive Security, women only make up approximately 1 percent of the Afghan National Police. There are about 2,200 women serving in the police force, fewer than the goal of 5,000 women set by the Government of Afghanistan. According to the International Crisis Group, there are not enough female police officers to staff all provincial Family Response Units (FRUs). United Nations Assistance Mission Afghanistan and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees found that in the absence of Family Response Units or visible women police officers, women victims almost never approach police stations willingly, fearing they will be arrested, their reputations stained or worse . It is the sense of Congress that— it is in the national security interests of the United States to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a safe haven and training ground for international terrorism; as an important part of a strategy to achieve this objective and to help Afghanistan achieve its full potential, the United States Government should continue to regularly press the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to commit to the meaningful inclusion of women in the political, economic, and security transition process and to ensure that women’s concerns are fully reflected in relevant negotiations; the United States Government and the Government of Afghanistan should reaffirm their commitment to supporting Afghan civil society, including women’s organizations, as agreed to during the meeting between the International Community and the Government of Afghanistan on the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework
(TMAF)in July 2013; the United States Government should continue to support and encourage efforts to recruit and retain women in the Afghan National Security Forces, who are critical to the success of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission and future Enduring Partnership mission; and the United States should bid on no less than one gender advisor billet within the Resolute Support Mission Gender Advisory Unit and continue to work with other countries to ensure that the Resolute Support Mission Gender Advisory Unit billets are fully staffed. The Secretary of Defense, in conjunction with the Secretary of State, shall include in the report required under section 1225 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. Buck McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 ( Public Law 113–291 ; 128 Stat. 3550)— an assessment of the security of Afghan women and girls, including information regarding efforts to increase the recruitment and retention of women in the ANSF; and an assessment of the implementation of the plans for the recruitment, integration, retention, training, treatment, and provision of appropriate facilities and transportation for women in the ANSF, including the challenges associated with such implementation and the steps being taken to address those challenges. The Secretary of Defense shall, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to the extent practicable, support the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan to promote the security of Afghan women and girls during and after the security transition process through the development and implementation by the Government of Afghanistan of an Afghan-led plan that should include the elements described in this paragraph. The Secretary of Defense, working with the NATO-led Resolute Support mission should encourage the Government of Afghanistan to develop— measures for the evaluation of the effectiveness of existing training for Afghan National Security Forces on this issue; a plan to increase the number of female security officers specifically trained to address cases of gender-based violence, including ensuring the Afghan National Police’s Family Response Units
(FRUs)have the necessary resources and are available to women across Afghanistan; mechanisms to enhance the capacity for units of National Police’s Family Response Units to fulfill their mandate as well as indicators measuring the operational effectiveness of these units; a plan to address the development of accountability mechanisms for ANA and ANP personnel who violate codes of conduct related to the human rights of women and girls, including female members of the ANSF; and a plan to develop training for the ANA and the ANP to increase awareness and responsiveness among ANA and ANP personnel regarding the unique security challenges women confront when serving in those forces. The Secretary of Defense, in cooperation with the Afghan Ministries of Defense and Interior, shall seek to assist the Government of Afghanistan in including as part of the plan developed under subparagraph
(A)the development and implementation of a plan to increase the number of female members of the ANA and ANP and to promote their equal treatment, including through such steps as providing appropriate equipment, modifying facilities, and ensuring literacy and gender awareness training for recruits. Of the funds available to the Department of Defense for the Afghan Security Forces Fund for Fiscal Year 2016, no less than $10,000,000 should be used for the recruitment, integration, retention, training, and treatment of women in the ANSF as well as the recruitment, training, and contracting of female security personnel for future elections. Such programs and activities may include— efforts to recruit women into the ANSF, including the special operations forces; programs and activities of the Afghan Ministry of Defense Directorate of Human Rights and Gender Integration and the Afghan Ministry of Interior Office of Human Rights, Gender and Child Rights; development and dissemination of gender and human rights educational and training materials and programs within the Afghan Ministry of Defense and the Afghan Ministry of Interior; efforts to address harassment and violence against women within the ANSF; improvements to infrastructure that address the requirements of women serving in the ANSF, including appropriate equipment for female security and police forces, and transportation for policewomen to their station support for ANP Family Response Units; and security provisions for high-profile female police and army officers.
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- 128 Stat. 3550
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