Afghanistan War

“Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus.”
                              - Challenge of Peace, U.S. Bishops, 1983

Impact of the Afghanistan War on Women and Children
In 2011, women and children again increasingly bore the brunt of the armed conflict. The number of Afghan women and children killed in 2011 increased from 2010, particularly in the second half of the year. UNAMA documented the deaths of 166 women and 306 children, representing 30 percent of all civilian deaths between July and December 2011.

Compared with the same span in 2010, the number of women killed grew by 29 percent and the number of children killed by 51 percent in the last half of 2011. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) remained the leading cause of conflict related deaths of women and children. In the second half of 2011, 112 children (36 percent of all child deaths for the period) were killed by IEDs; up 45 percent from the last half of 2010. IEDs caused the deaths of 69 women (41 percent of all female deaths in the second half of 2011) up 30 percent compared with the last half of 2010. via: Afghanistan Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 2011

Women’s Rights
As the U.S. and NATO military presence in Afghanistan draws to a close, we need to strengthen our diplomatic and civilian commitment to ensuring a peaceful and stable future forAfghanistan, and we need to continue to emphasize that the protection of the rights of women and girls must be a top priority in any negotiations. Working with the Afghan government and civil society, we need to end the pervasive problem of violence so women are free to learn,work and thrive. via: U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill

What has been the cost of the Afghanistan War?
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