Amy Klobuchar (left), Susan Collins.Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty; Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty
Senators Amy Klobuchar and Susan Collins urged U.S. officials on Friday to prioritize dedicating resources to meet the needs of women and marginalized groups who have been evacuated from Afghanistan.
Sixty-one-year-old Klobuchar, a Democrat, and 68-year-old Collins, a Republican, cited recent reports that foundat least three women delivered babiesduring the evacuation.
In their letter, they urged the U.S. to offer obstetric services to any pregnant evacuees, psychosocial support, childcare, “mitigation procedures for sexual assault and financial predation, and help with family reunification.”
The letter continued: “In order to live up to our commitment to support Afghan refugees, we must offer significant focus to women’s needs in the evacuation and relocation process. We look forward to working with you to help women evacuees relocate safely and with the support they need.”
Taliban fighters swept through Afghanistan last month, taking city after city as American troops began their planned withdrawal. After the country’s capital, Kabul, fell with little resistance from the government or national army, the efforts to evacuate both American citizens and Afghan visa applicants and refugees increased in urgency.
Marginalized groups and women, in particular, feared the Taliban, who ruled brutally prior to the U.S. invasion in 2001, largely denying women and girls access to education, among other much-decried practices.
The Taliban now insists its rule will not repeat the barbarism of its reign before 9/11, though political experts are wary of those claims.
Pentagon officials said this week that the historically large airlift operation — one that drew fierce criticism — helped at least 122,000 people flee the country,theWashington Postreported.
The vast majority of Afghans who applied for visas to leave the country still remain there, however.
“I would say it’s the majority of them,” one State Department official estimated to theWallStreetJournalearlier this week, in response to a question regarding how many visa applicants remained in the country. “Just based on anecdotal information about the populations we were able to support.”
U.S officials say that the military operation in the country has now entered a “diplomatic sequel” phase, in which the Department of State will work to get out both remaining Americans and any remaining eligible Afghans.
If you would like to support those in need during the upheaval in Afghanistan, consider:
Donating toUNICEFto aid Afghans in the country or
Donating to theInternational Refugee Assistance Projectto help those fleeing.
source: people.com
