{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/casey-in-oslo-the-rights-of-afghan-women-and-girls-are-non-negotiable", "Casey in Oslo: ‘The Rights of Afghan Women and Girls Are Non-Negotiable’", "2014-11-23", "2014", "2014-11", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Bob Casey", "C001070", "www.casey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Oslo, Norway- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the National Security Working Group and former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, spoke at the Oslo Symposium on Advancing Women\u2019s Rights and Empowerment in Afghanistan this weekend calling the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan non-negotiable. Casey discussed how protecting the rights of women in Afghanistan and throughout the world advances U.S. national security interests and promotes stability. For years Casey has worked to include language in annual defense bills that would ensure the protection of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan remains a U.S. priority. Casey also held a hearing on the status of the rights of women in the Middle East following the \u2018Arab Spring\u2019 and pushed to increase the number of domestic violence shelters in Afghanistan. This weekend Casey met with Afghanistan\u2019s First Lady, Rula Ghani, and other Afghan leaders.\r\nThe full text of Casey\u2019s remarks as prepared for delivery can be seen below.\r\nDoubling Down on Support for Afghan Women and Girls\r\nSenator Robert P. Casey, Jr.\r\nNovember 23, 2014 in Oslo, Norway\r\nAs prepared for delivery\r\nPrime Minister Solberg and First Lady Ghani, we are honored by your presence today. I am grateful to be part of a distinguished U.S. delegation \u2013 led by Ambassador Cathy Russell \u2013 and want to thank the sponsors of this important Symposium, especially Ambassador Melanne Verveer of the Georgetown Institute, for the opportunity to join this panel.\u00a0 I come before you today as a Senator, a husband, and a father of four daughters to express gratitude and solidarity.\u00a0\r\nDuring my eight years in the Senate, including four as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee that covers Afghanistan and its region, I have had the opportunity to travel to Afghanistan three times.\u00a0 These trips, especially my meetings with Afghan counterparts, have informed and inspired me to continue my work in the Senate to send a clear, unified message: we must not tolerate erosion of the progress that has been made to expand and protect the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.\r\nOver the past thirteen years, Afghan women have made substantial gains in education, government, business, and national security.\u00a0 Solidifying and sustaining these gains is consistent with both American values and national security interests.\u00a0\r\nI have been inspired by the remarkable stories of women who have ignored security threats, overcome family objections, and broken through legal barriers to become drivers of change:\r\n-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the Army recruit whose fianc\u00e9e threatened to kill her if she would not resign her position\r\n-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the politician who defied Taliban threats to run for and win elected office\r\n-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the female poll workers and searchers who helped administer the Presidential elections in April despite the security risks, and\r\n-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the girls who have survived acid attacks and returned to school.\u00a0\r\nI know that many remarkable Afghan leaders \u2013 some with stories not unlike these ones - have joined us today, and I look forward to connecting with all of you.\r\nMany of you know that the United States Congress can be a place of rancor and division.\u00a0 Yet, supporting the rights of Afghan women and girls is a priority that transcends politics.\u00a0 For three years, I have led legislation designed to improve the recruitment and retention of women in the Afghan National Security Forces.\u00a0 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. \u2013 Afghan relationship.\r\nMany members of the U.S. Congress \u2013 Democrat, Republican, and Independent - stand with you and will remain steadfast to ensure the recent gains for Afghan women and girls are a foundation on which we can build.\u00a0 To allow these gains to be reversed would dishonor the sacrifice of the American and coalition forces who have served in Afghanistan and would betray the Afghan people, many of whom have given their lives to fight back against extremism. We must remain committed to the work of the diplomats, civilian aid workers, and civil society groups who have labored alongside their Afghan partners to help the country recover from decades of brutal Taliban rule.\r\nThe past thirteen years have been transformative for Afghanistan, and already the new Administration has taken important steps \u2013 for example, the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement, a resumption of the Kabul Bank inquiry, and, of course, First Lady Ghani\u2019s vocal activism on behalf of women, girls, and the vulnerable.\u00a0 This time of transition affords all of us here today the opportunity renew our commitments. We all know that the stakes remain high for women and girls.\u00a0 We must make clear to Afghan leaders that women\u2019s rights are non-negotiable. During this Symposium, and in the lead-up to the London Conference, we must work together to ensure that women will be full partners in planning for and building Afghanistan\u2019s future.\r\nAs former U.S. President Bill Clinton stated, \u201cno society can truly flourish if it stifles the dreams and productivity of half its population.\u201d This struggle for freedom and equality is part of both our shared history and our shared ideals.\u00a0 I am also mindful of a passage from the Scriptures, which is important in my faith. It reads: \u201cBlest are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.\u201d\u00a0I commend your enduring work to give the people of Afghanistan a more just society. \u00a0\u00a0I look forward to hearing directly from you and to working together to build a better tomorrow for women and girls in Afghanistan.\u00a0\r\nThank you.\r\n###\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\r\n\t\t\t\t\tJohn Rizzo 202-228-6367", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/casey-in-oslo-the-rights-of-afghan-women-and-girls-are-non-negotiable"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2553767301142216, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}