What Afghanistan's Unfolding Humanitarian Crisis Means for Women and Girls

As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban, a humanitarian crisis is quickly unfolding in the country. Hundreds of thousands of individuals have been displaced, with women and girls making up 80 percent of those displaced individuals. Gayatri Patel, Vice President for External Relations at the Women’s Refugee Commission, sits down to talk with us about the situation unfolding in Afghanistan, what it means for women and girls, and what we can do to help.

Currently, there’s an urgent need to get people out of Afghanistan due to the ongoing conflict coupled with a major drought and ongoing impacts of Covid. Additionally, there is a growing humanitarian crisis of over 500,000 people that are internally displaced—they have left their homes in an effort to flee the Taliban, or their homes have been destroyed. All border crossing stations are controlled by the Taliban, making escape routes out of the country only possible by air. This makes shelter, food, and primary health services resources that are urgently needed by those in Afghanistan. These impacts of humanitarian crises are also disproportionately felt by women and girls, who also experience lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services, lack of access to education, and increased rates of gender-based violence.

Over the last twenty years, women and girls in Afghanistan have gone to school, worked, accessed critical health care, and become leaders. As the Taliban has taken over the country and Afghanistan’s government has fallen, those rights have been pulled back—in fact, there are reports of increased rates of sexual violence and forced marriage, women and girls being barred from schools and workplaces, and women and girls being forced to receive permission from male relatives to leave the home.

 The international community must step up to support refugees from Afghanistan, without caps or quotas. The U.S. government can also ensure the safe evacuation of many women leaders by surging support for visa processing, securing routes to airports, and more. Survivors of gender-based violence, which is on the rise, need increased support. This includes medical care, psychosocial care, and assistance in finding work.

Links from this episode

Women’s Refugee Commission on Twitter
Women’s Refugee Commission on Facebook
Women’s Refugee Commission statement on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
Women’s Refugee Commission Afghanistan Resource Page
Advocacy and Support toolkit
CARE Action – Support Afghanistan campaign
Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls Sign-On letter

Transcript

Jennie: Welcome to rePROs Fight Back, a podcast where we explore all things reproductive health, rights and justice. I'm your host, Jennie Wetter, and I'll be helping you stay informed around issues like birth control, abortion, sex education and LGBTQ issues and much, much more-- giving you the tools you need to take action and fight back. Okay, let's dive in.

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Jennie: Welcome to this week's episode of rePROs Fight Back. I'm your host, Jennie Wetter, and my pronouns are she/her. So y'all, this week I am really excited for our episode. We're going to be talking about Afghanistan, but that also means it's pretty heavy. So just fair warning. You know, I'll try and keep my intro light, but also I had a really terrible week and I'm really burned out. And I'm so looking forward to, I'm recording this on Friday before the episode comes out, of having a really nice long weekend to relax and forget about all the things and just do something fun. So I'm really looking forward to basically, as soon as I finish recording and send this off to our editor, I am going to see a friend that I've barely seen at all since the pandemic, other than on many, many, many work zooms. And we're going to go and we're going to go visit some wineries and just have a fun day of not dealing with all the things. And I am so excited. Y'all, I am just really looking forward to drinking some wine and I'm sure having some cheese and just having a delightful day. It's the little things to look forward to. I don't really have any other big plans for the weekend, which is also kind of nice. It's a nice three-day weekend for me. So I think it'll be really wonderful. I'm going to watch some silly fun movies, I think is my goal. You know, last weekend I watched Miss Congeniality, so that made me really happy. So I'm going to probably try and find some more fun movies like that, or watch a ton of Bob's Burgers because that is like my happy place. It's just, it makes me happy to watch and I can watch it over and over and over and over again. I find it very entertaining and will never not be happy watching it. Other than that, I'll probably do some baking. I really have not been in the baking mood for a while. I'm hoping that maybe I will feel like doing something more on Sunday. I'm thinking maybe some bagels sound good. I don't know what kind, though. Either cheese or cinnamon raisin, which are among my favorites, something like that. And just enjoying a pretty chill weekend. Let's see here… anything. Oh, we'll go with a funny story and then we'll go to the interview. So recently I was on a big meeting, and I think I've mentioned this before, but my cats are really zoom divas. Like there's no other word to explain it. Like they know when I'm on video and 99.9% of the time we'll make an appearance. Actually, my interview today was I think the first time in like forever that one of them hasn't showed up to like sit and stare at the camera and get in my face and be on camera the whole time. So anyway, I was in this big meeting with a lot of colleagues and some people with the U.S. government. And somehow, I have no idea how, Cinder… she was like laying across my keyboard and like wanting attention. And honestly, I don't know how she did it, managed to mash just the right set of buttons that she raised my hand in the zoom meeting. And because a friend who will never not give me a hard time if given the opportunity was moderating that session, she called on me because my hand was raised and I was clearly wrestling a cat off my keyboard, trying to lower my hand, and they asked if I had anything or if it was one of my cats. And it was a little embarrassing, I mean, funny and I could use a good laugh, but man, a big meeting and Cinder has to go and be silly like that.

Jennie: I still don't know how she raised my hand. Y'all. I mean, I could barely raise my hand in zoom. It takes me a minute to figure it out every time and the cat figures it out right away, who knew. So I hope you all enjoy a little peek in what it is like to work here every day. I'm always wrestling cats around my computer. They're always sneaking all of the appearances on zoom. I mean, if they don't show up, I inevitably get at least one text of people being like, “oh, are your cats okay? Where are they?” So yeah, that is how much they show up on camera. They're pretty silly. So unfortunately, after that, a bit of lightness, we're going to turn to a pretty heavy topic and you know, I just want to give a little bit of a trigger warning-- while we don't get really in depth into anything. We do talk about gender-based violence and rape. You know, it's not in depth, but just be aware of your mental space. And if you're not able to listen right now, come back at a different time. But I felt like it was a really important topic that we talk about what's happening in Afghanistan. And you know, we focus on the situation for women and girls, but just know that this is a much bigger situation than that. It's a real humanitarian crisis and it's impacts everybody. But you know, we spend the vast majority of our time focusing on the situation for women and girls. So I hope you all enjoy and are motivated to, you know, do what you can to help with this refugee crisis. You know, finding places to donate, donating supplies to families who are going to need to be setting up new households, you know, doing whatever you can to help as you are able. So I couldn't think of a better person to talk to than the wonderful Gayatri Patel at the Women's Refugee Commission to talk about women and girls in Afghanistan. So with that, let's turn to my interview with Gayatri.

Jennie: Hi, Gayatri, thank you so much for being here today.

Gayatri: Hey Jennie, it's great to be here. Thanks so much for having me.

Jennie: Before we get started, do you want to take a quick minute and introduce yourself and include your pronouns?

Gayatri: Sure. I'd be happy to. My name is Gayatri Patel. I am the Vice President for External Relations at the Women's Refugee Commission and my pronouns are she/her.

Jennie: So I'm really happy to have you here today to talk about a really like, it's just, there aren't even words to describe the horrific situation in Afghanistan, but I think it's really important to, like pause for a second and say one, we're recording this on Friday, August 20th. Things are changing minute by minute. So like, just to keep that in mind when you're listening and two, it is such a vast situation and so many different things we could talk about and we're going to mostly focus on women and girls, but that's not to say that's the most important crisis. There are so many important things happening, but it's just really important to clarify that because we're talking about this, we just wanted to acknowledge the rest. I guess Gayatri, do you have anything to add to that?

Gayatri: Yeah, I mean, you took the words right out of my mouth. Things are such a moving target right now, and there are so many, there's so many ways and angles for which to be concerned. I mean, women and girls, of course human rights defenders writ large and, and their safety, the safety of other minority groups or vulnerable populations in Afghanistan. We're really trying to look at like the big picture, but at the same time, you know, trying hard to deal with the most vulnerable and the most at-risk who are desperately looking for solutions right now. And, you know, trying to be mindful of security concerns and just the real culture of fear that people in Afghanistan are feeling right now.

Jennie: Yeah. And I think, you know, a really important place to start is there's also an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Do you maybe want to start there?

Gayatri: Yeah. So there there's two things that we've really been focusing on for the past week or so ever since Sunday, working 24-7: one is the kind of urgent need to get people out of the country. And I can talk a little bit more about that later, but one of the other things, you know, the international community is trying really hard to deal with the urgent situation. What we really want to encourage them to also focus on is the fact that we have a growing humanitarian situation in the country. We know that currently there are over 500,000 people who are internally displaced, which means they've left their homes either because they're fleeing the Taliban or their homes have been destroyed and they need to get somewhere else for safety. And we also know that a lot of the border crossings, if not all of the border crossings are controlled by the Taliban. So there's no way out of the country except by air. And we know that the air routes are being restricted right now. And so there's this kind of boiling pot of humanitarian need that's growing in the country when it comes to shelter, to food, primary health services, there's a drought happening right now also. So that kind of feeds into it as well. And so urging the international community to not just focus on the immediate concern, but also urgently put their mind towards, you know, getting the resources and the leadership together to address this humanitarian situation. And particularly as it relates to women and girls, because we know that they're already facing violence, we know that they have so many needs during the humanitarian crisis that are often overlooked, like things like, you know, access to sexual and reproductive health care, access to education, access to, you know, livelihoods so that they can support their families. So these are all really important considerations and there's, there's a lot for us to be thinking about and acting on, but the humanitarian situation is one that, you know, we just don't see enough attention to right now. And we, we really are behind in planning and, and getting ready for that.

Jennie: Yeah. I have to say, I, you know, have been so focused on the military situation trying to get people out. And I haven't been paying as much attention to Afghanistan as I maybe would be because I had a lot of other things happening this week, but I was texting last night with a colleague, Lena, at the International Rescue Committee and she was reminding me like, COVID is still happening and the drought and like, it just like hadn't even occurred to me that there are like all of these already ongoing major problems are still happening in the backdrop of the current crisis.

Gayatri: Absolutely. Yeah. And, you know, given the sense of fear that, I mean, I don't want to speak for all of the people of Afghanistan, but, but some of the Afghan human rights defenders that I have spoken to have reported that there's a real feeling that this new ruling body is, is not going to be serving their needs as well. And, you know, with crises like COVID, like the drought, like the internal displacement, you need a government that's actually going to be responsive. So it's really challenging. It's really sensitive and really fast moving.

Jennie: Okay. So keeping all of that in mind, let's shift to women and girls. And I think maybe the place to start is, so what has happened with the status of women and girls over the last 20 years?

Gayatri: Yeah. I mean, I think what we've seen is women and girls coming out of their homes, going to school, working, achieving things, leading, organizing within their communities, accessing the care and health services that they need. I'm not saying things are perfect, but it was a thriving, civil society where women could pursue their ambitions and speak up and be part of their communities and part of their government and part of their academic institutions, et cetera. And so what's happening this week and not just this week, I mean, it's been happening for four months now, as the Taliban has been making its way through the country, we're in this shock zone of sorts where those rights are being pulled back. And we know that, you know, the Taliban, it has rebranded itself or is trying to rebrand itself and, and said that, you know, women's rights will be respected within certain boundaries. And we're, I mean, I'm skeptical and I know others are as well, because what we're seeing is that they're, you know, reports of forced marriage to Taliban fighters, sexual slavery, rape, women being barred from their workplaces and schools, women having to get their husbands or, or male relatives’ permission just to leave the home or to access a health clinic. And so these are things that are in stark contrast to what has been achieved over the past 20 years. And that's incredibly concerning in so many ways.

Jennie: Yeah. I'm really worried, you know, I remember reading stories of, you know, what happened when the Taliban was in power before; it’s been great to see more girls being able to go to school and more women being able to get out of the home. And yeah, there's this real fear that there's going to be a real step backwards. I mean, that's not backwards, isn't the right word, but step back.

Gayatri: Yeah. I really, I really, you know, I haven't had any opportunities to speak with any younger women who didn't know what it was like before. Right? And, but I, I really wonder what they're thinking. Like it's, it's, uh, it's going to be a new reality for them unless we can, unless we can do something to support them.

Jennie: I mean, I think you've already really kind of touched on this, but like, what is the fall of the Afghan government going to mean for women and girls in the country? And I'm sure it may vary place by place, but I assume it's going to have a huge impact.

Gayatri: Yeah. I think it already has. I think there are so many communities that are already afraid that are already being pulled back into old ways. And, you know, I was speaking with a really prominent human rights defender yesterday and she was, she was incredibly worried about, you know, the, she runs this schools for young children. I believe many of them are orphans, and she's like, “I have no idea what's going to happen with them. They're going to be out on the street.” That school is their source of food and education and family. And you know, if a school like that is shut down, what's going to happen to these children? So it's, it's things like that that keep me up at night. But I think we're, we're also gonna see, you know, women had over the past 20 years, more and more, been in the public limelight, they were journalists, they were activists and scholars and writers and poets, et cetera. We're going to see a lot of that shut down. And I'm in huge awe of the female journalists who are still out there who are, you know, they're pictures of women who are like, you know, standing within a throng of Taliban soldiers still reporting the news on like Tuesday after the government fell on Sunday. But I think that's going to be, rather than the norm that it was for the past many years, it's going to be the exception and it's going to be much more targeted. It's going to be an act of bravery rather than just an everyday act of like, oh yeah, I'm going to work.

Jennie: Yeah. I mean, that's exactly what was going through my head as you were talking is just like how brave those women journalists are right now that are still out there reporting, being surrounded by Taliban soldiers. Like that is just amazing to me.

Gayatri: Absolutely. And those are the women that I'm incredibly concerned about. And that obviously I'm not the only one that's higher, like network of people who are worried about women human rights defenders who have been active and vocal for the past, you know, 20 years or so because they have a target on their back at this point. And there's so, you know, so many of them want to stay either because they want to stay and push back against the Taliban or because they have family and don't want to leave, which, you know, are both incredibly noble reasons to stay, but there are so many who fear for their lives, like literally fear their lives and are trying to get out. And unfortunately, it hasn't been a smooth process to get them to safety.

Jennie: Yeah. I, I guess that, you know, turns us to, like, I guess I was going to ask, you know, what does the U.S. government need to do, but I guess we could even start bigger with like, what does the international community need to do? And then narrow down onto like U.S. specific.

Gayatri: Yeah. Well, I mean the international community in general needs to step up and take Afghan refugees and we've seen a number of countries do that, but it's, you know, it's a matter of, you know, some country in Europe will pledge to take in 10,000 and some will pledge to take in 2000, et cetera. The U.S. itself has pledged to take in 30,000 special immigrant visa applicants. And these are Afghans who have worked directly with the U.S. military and the U.S. government. So we owed them, I mean, they've, they've put their lives on the line. We should be helping them. But I, you know, I think we're past the point of quotas and caps on how many refugees can take there's so much need. And so the international community really needs to just, you know, focus on getting the most vulnerable out. And like I said earlier, look at the humanitarian situation inside the country and, you know, help keep eyes on the Taliban. We know that it's important that they be scrutinized for their actions and go past what their rhetoric has been. And so we need to keep monitoring that. And then in terms of the U.S. government, I mean, it, it didn't have to be this way. People inside and outside of the government have been screaming from the rooftops that this is a huge human rights concern, particularly for women and particularly for human rights defenders. And so we could have prepared, but here we are now where we have thousands of people just waiting to, to have their visas processed or their priority designations processed, or to just get on a plane. And that's where the U.S. has focus, needs to be. We've heard from the President that there's an evacuation process, which is great. And that evacuation process includes at risk Afghans, but we have no, I don't know, assurance that that includes the women human rights defenders, who are hunkering in safe houses right now, and just trying to stay alive. And so we, we need them to prioritize getting those women out. We need them to make it easier for them to get out. So, you know, secure the airport, secure the route to the airport so that they can actually get there and safely make sure that we're the administrative hurdles are dealt with later. Like just get them on a plane, get them out of the country and deal with the bureaucracy later. And surge support for visa processing, et cetera, all of those things that the U.S. government can be doing and should be doing now to make sure that those women are protected because they are, you know, sitting ducks.

Jennie: I think, you know, while we're talking about refugees, it's worth talking about how important that is because there's already starting voices pushing back on refugees and starting to raise unfounded concern around accepting refugees and really racist concerns, basically. Do you want me to just touch on like why this is so important?

Gayatri: Yeah. I mean, for the U.S., we have historically been very generous. I think we provide the most in humanitarian donorship around the world. I think that's a great talking point, but what does it mean for the refugees that we accept into our country? I think we've seen for the past four years, there's been this growing rhetoric that refugees are dangerous or refugees will take over our economy or take over our communities. And I think by and large, what we've seen as a country that has accepted refugees historically, is that they integrate, they resettled, they build their families, they're safe. And I think that's the narrative that we need to get back to that refugees can, can enrich our communities. And, you know, they've already given so much, so many of these special immigrant visa holders or applicants, as I said before, are ones who have worked with us with our military, with our campaign in Afghanistan, they are our allies and we should be protecting them and helping resettle them.

Jennie: Absolutely.

Gayatri: One thing I would like to say though, is the generosity of people in, at least in some of the communities that I've seen has been off the charts. I mean, I know that there are mutual friends of ours who have done donation drives and have gotten tons of supplies from people in their area. I've hosted a donation drive, just like one posted on Facebook. And within a day, my entire dining room in my house is full of linens and dishes and laundry detergent and things like that because people really want to help and people really feel moved by the situation. So I really want to acknowledge that, you know, while there is this growing trend of a negative narrative, there are so many people in the U.S. who want to support and want to help. And that's what we should promote.

Jennie: You're right. I have really been really moved by not just friends and people I see doing it, but like we're both in the DC area. So like restaurants that are doing it and just like so many what you might think like non-traditional sources of like trying to work on this issue. Like, it seems like so many people are just trying to do their part to help out all the families that are coming, Which is great. It's, it's really been the, the shining light really dismal week missing people and communities come together to help. So I know obviously, and for obvious reasons, the main focus right now is on refugees and getting people out because that is the like pressing immediate needs to happen right now. Is there anything else we need to be thinking about for women and girls, like longer term or just beyond once we get refugees out?

Gayatri: Yeah. I mean the three things that I worry about the most… or two and a half… are gender-based violence. We already know that, you know, women are being harassed on the street there. Like I said before, they're facing forced marriage and sexual servitude to Taliban soldiers. We're seeing corporal punishment in the street for minor “offenses.” It's a huge concern. And, you know, we need to prevent it, but gender-based violence comes with a whole slew of support services that survivors need. And so I'm, and I'm concerned that survivors in this situation are not going to get the support that they need. So that's, that's a big concern and those support services could be anything from like, you know, medical care, psychosocial care, assistance in finding a job so that they can recover their independence, but a kind of a subset of gender-based violence that I'm particularly concerned about is child marriage. We know that child marriage increases during any humanitarian crisis, kind of as like a negative coping mechanism. I'm particularly concerned about it here because of the reports that we're seeing of some forced marriages. So those are two big things that I worry about. And I would really encourage us to think through how do we keep programs to that are already happening? How do we keep them going? Because they have been a lifeline for a lot of women, but in the humanitarian response specifically, how do we make sure that those are part of the mix that they're not seen as, you know, some secondary issue, but something that's actually a primary concern alongside shelter and food assistance, et cetera, is providing services and support to survivors of gender-based violence. And then related to that is women's access to healthcare. We know in emergency situations, it's often like the afterthought that women have health needs, and yet it's so self-explanatory, like women are still going to be having babies. They're still going to be in need of family planning services. They're still going to be in need of just basic health care for their bodies. And yet it's something that we are worried we're not gonna have enough attention on, but also that it's going to be politicized. And we're, we're already hearing reports that the Taliban is requiring that male relatives accompany any woman to health clinics, which you can imagine comes with a lot of restrictions, taking your husband to the doctor with you. So those are the things that I worry about… also just, you know, there've been so many gains in terms of girls' education and women's ability to, to work and be part of the workforce or, you know, just economic actors in and of themselves. I’m really concerned that that's going to get pulled back. We're going to recreate the situation where girls and women are stuck in their homes, unable to learn, unable to use skills that they have and really isolated.

Jennie: Yeah. That's a lot to worry about. And so like interconnected, right? Like so interconnected, like thinking of gender-based violence and child,marriage in humanitarian settings is so important because both of those things really do increase during times of humanitarian crisis. And, you know, the focus tends to be like focusing on food, water, and shelter as obvious, like first steps. But like, we can't forget all of these other things. And that does include like women are still having babies, like gender-based violence is increasing, child marriage is increasing, and like all of this needs to be thought of at the same time.

Gayatri: Yeah, absolutely. And not just thought of, I mean, there's such a strong need to include women in the planning for that. You're saying, I mean, imagine how much could be lost just in the mix if you don't have women deciding, you know, what kind of humanitarian interventions does this community need? What kind of health clinics, what should the shelter set up look like, et cetera. And so from the humanitarian side, there's such a strong push and a real urgent need to have women and girls involved in that process or else their needs often get often slipped through the cracks. And so, you know, keeping that in mind as humanitarian implementers are continuing their work in the country, you know, I'm really glad to see that big implementers are still there and ready to provide humanitarian assistance. But this is something that's really important for them to keep in mind. And I, I know they will, at least I hope they will.

Jennie: Yeah. And your…that really strikes me as like you were seeing, it feels forever ago. Cause like time has lost all meaning, but when they were talking about like trying to negotiate like peace settlements with the Taliban and like making sure to have women at the table during that process, like, I would really hate to see that now that the Taliban is in charge that women won't be at any of those tables anymore. And that would be a tremendous loss, not just for the women and girls of Afghanistan, but for Afghanistan.

Gayatri: Yeah. Well, I mean, if I can get on my political soapbox for a minute, there were only, I think two women in those peace negotiations and I don't know, does that contribute to where we are right now? Yeah. So it's, I mean the women’s peace and security angle to this is so incredibly important, having women at the table, whether it's peace negotiations or designing humanitarian responses or implementing humanitarian responses or democracy programming or education planning, et cetera. All of these are spaces where women need to be and have their voices heard because, you know, we, they just bring such an important perspective.

Jennie: Okay. So we've talked about what the U.S. government needs to do. What can the audience do? I I'm sure a lot of people are like me right now and really want to do what they can to help. So what actions can our audience take?

Gayatri: I think it's incredibly important for the administration to continue hearing from as many voices as possible, how important it is to prioritize getting those who are most at risk out of the country. And I, I know the U.S. government is trying, I know that we have boots on the ground helping with the evacuation, but we don't yet have assurances. That that means the full range of people that are at risk of being executed. I mean, to be very blunt about it. So call your congressional office, write to your congressional office, right? To the President, write to the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, and encourage them to a make sure that women human rights defenders who are at risk, are prioritized for evacuation. Make sure that they are pushing the message, that this is not the time for burdensome bureaucratic process. We, we need to get people out and we can deal with the bureaucracy of visas and referrals and that kind of thing later. So to really bypass some of those administrative hurdles, provide surge support to those who are processing visas. There's a huge backlog and because things are understaffed. And then once they're here, make sure that they're protected and treated as refugees in a trauma informed way. A lot of these people have or are enduring trauma and we need to be sensitive to that. So that's what I would encourage people to do, right? Contact your, your member of Congress, right? The President, the cabinet. And then honestly, I've, I've found it so cathartic in the last couple of days to organize those neighborhood donation drives, get people, the supplies they need to resettle here. There are going to be so many who need to have their home set up who need basic supplies like menstruation supplies or, you know, things like that we just wouldn't normally think of. Cause they're everyday, everyday things. Those are the kinds of things that people need. So if your audience is looking for specific places to donate, I know that a restaurant in downtown DC or in Adams Morgan, I don't know if that's considered downtown… called Lapis DC is collecting supplies through next Friday. And that that restaurant is run by, started by refugees from I think 20 or 30 years ago. So it feels quite close to home, but yeah, I mean, just, just be active in pressing for the U.S. government to prioritize and do what we can as a community to support the refugees who do come here.

Jennie: Yeah.

Gayatri: It does feels really nice to do what you can to support if you're able.

Jennie: Exactly. Yeah. Well, Gayatri, thank you so much for being here, as always. It is a pleasure to talk to you about some pretty heavy topics.

Gayatri: Thanks so much. I really appreciate that you're doing this and raising attention. I think everyone is so concerned and looking for ways to help. So I really appreciate being able to talk about it and to encourage your audience to pitch in.

Jennie: Okay. Y'all, I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Gayatri and like me, you're motivated to go find ways that you can donate and support. I donated to a friend who was organizing some supply drives last night. I'm sure I will be donating to multiple other things in the coming weeks. I'm lucky enough to be able to, you know, if you are able to, it would also be amazing to do what you can to help if you can't, even if you can make sure you are also reaching out to your members of Congress and the administration and talking to them about how important this is, that we are bringing people over and as speedy as possible and all of Gayatri: is wonderful suggestions.

Jennie: Thanks for listening everyone. And we'll see you on our next episode of RePROS Fight Back. For more information, including show notes from this episode and previous episodes, please visit our website at reprosfightback.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at RePROS Fight Back, or on Instagram at reprosfb. If you like our show, please help others find it by sharing it with your friends and subscribing, rating and reviewing us on iTunes. Thanks for listening.

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