NEW YORK, Feb 22, 2011 (IPS) – As conflict continues to rage in Afghanistan, the U.S. Congress is gearing up to debate a bill that could support the country’s long-oppressed women in their struggle to achieve gender equality, even in the years after the U.S. military occupation ends.

Though the Afghan Women Empowerment Act has languished through two sessions of Congress, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney does not want to give up on what she sees as a “(U.S.) obligation to ensure that women and girls have the opportunities that they were denied under the Taliban” – namely their rights to work, education and healthcare.

Amending the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002, this Act would provide 45 million dollars to the Afghan president, charging him to distribute the amount amongst three entities: the Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs (five million dollars), the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (10 million dollars), and the grassroots Afghan women-led non-profit organisations (30 million dollars).

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