Casey: Rights of Afghan girls are not negotiable

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said promoting the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan would help U.S. national security interests.

“We must not tolerate erosion of the progress that has been made to expand and protect the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan,” Casey said Sunday at a symposium in Oslo. “Solidifying and sustaining these gains is consistent with both American values and national security interests.”

{mosads}Casey said he has included legislative language to make protecting the rights of women and girls a top U.S. priority in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which the Senate could take up upon returning from the Thanksgiving holiday.

“With my Republican colleague Senator Kelly Ayotte, I have pressed the U.S. Departments of State and Defense to make Afghan women a top priority as they chart the course for the new U.S.–Afghan relationship,” Casey said.

Casey said the U.S. presence in Afghanistan over the past 13 years has resulted in “substantial gains” for women in education, government and business. He vowed to continue that fight even after U.S. troops leave.