Washington, D.C. – The Senate passed a Resolution cosponsored by Senator Collins encouraging the Transitional National Assembly of Iraq to adopt a constitution that grants women equal rights under the law and to work to protect such rights. In February, Senator Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq. During that trip, Senator Collins participated in a meeting with Iraqi women who were optimistic about the future of their country, the prospects of writing a moderate constitution, and their opportunities for full participation. The current draft of the Iraqi constitution, however, has raised concerns among Iraqi women as to their rights.
"While Iraq has made great progress toward a democratic society, I remain concerned that the equal treatment of women has not been fully established," Senator Collins said. "The current draft of the Iraqi constitution does not explicitly give women the rights that they are entitled to in a true democratic society. This Resolution clearly states the commitment by the U.S. to seeing the full rights of women granted in the Iraqi constitution and I hope that the Transitional National Assembly of Iraq will act appropriately to address this concern."
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