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Stop Rape of Women and Girls in the Congo

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: CARE

War has ravaged the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for more than two decades. Almost 5.5 million people are dead, and the wounds of the conflict are deep and enduring.

Women in the DRC are victims of one of the most appalling assaults the world has witnessed. Rape and brutal sexual assaults have become tools of war -- spreading HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, disfiguring women and destroying families. The violence is not only traumatizing women, but their children, who often witness the attacks or who are attacked themselves.

There is no end in sight. Tens of thousands more women and young girls are at risk with the newest wave of heavy fighting between rebel and government troops.

That's why your support for the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) is so urgently needed. This legislation will increase protection and services for women and girls facing gender based violence, and will direct more U.S. funding to violence prevention abroad.

deadline: 11-6-2009
goal: 20,000

17,551
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As your constituent and a supporter of CARE, I am writing to strongly urge you to support the International Violence Against Women Act when it is reintroduced during the next Congress.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) women are kidnapped, raped, beaten and even killed by armed men every day. By passing IVAWA, we will take a significant step toward addressing this type of violence in the DRC and other crisis regions around the world.

IVAWA represents U.S. commitment to eliminating violence against women worldwide. This legislation will integrate policies that help prevent and reduce gender-based violence into existing U.S. foreign assistance and development programs.

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Sincerely,
[Your name here]

We took action on “Stop Rape of Women and Girls in the Congo”!

# 17,555:

8:17 pm PST, Nov 1, Mazarine Treyz, Texas
Women are being raped every day in the Congo. Rape is such a part of life that one in two women will be raped in her lifetime. That's everyone from little babies to grandmothers. How can a country move forward when over half of the population is living in fear of being raped or killed? The stabilization of the Congo will be good for the women, good for the men, good for the children, the babies, the grandparents, and good for our world. The more we can help create peace in the DRC, the more we can create beneficial trade relationships, and start to undo some of the foreign relations nightmares perpetuated under the Bush administration.

# 17,554:

5:50 pm PDT, Oct 28, Name not displayed, Connecticut

# 17,553:

2:30 pm PDT, Oct 25, Name not displayed, Connecticut

# 17,552:

5:34 am PDT, Oct 25, Justine Erwin, Armed Forces Europe

# 17,551:

12:01 pm PDT, Oct 24, Jasmine Hunter, Connecticut

# 17,550:

6:46 am PDT, Oct 24, Name not displayed, South Africa
it is very sacry to be a young girl living in a world where this is all that men can get pleasure from is .why should innocent girls suffer just because some men cannot control themselves? the reason that it hasnt alreay being stopped is because these men have not been serverely punished..when is it ever going to end?we need to stand together in order to make this worl a safe place for us as well as future generations.

# 17,549:

6:42 am PDT, Oct 24, Julie Linder, Florida

# 17,548:

1:11 am PDT, Oct 24, Can Atik, Turkey

# 17,547:

10:25 pm PDT, Oct 23, Rose Carey-Pierce, Connecticut
This should not be taking place anywhere in the world, only we can save these woman who are being abused. Our acknowlegement of this offensive behavior is their cry out for help! If they cry, we cry! We have to let the abusive soldiers, and their co-conspirators know that if we cry together, we fight together to stop this horrific abuse!

# 17,546:

8:01 pm PDT, Oct 23, Julia Krizovenska, New York

# 17,545:

12:36 pm PDT, Oct 23, Guillermo Loianno, Connecticut

# 17,544:

10:55 am PDT, Oct 23, Chi Dang, Connecticut

# 17,543:

6:35 am PDT, Oct 23, Maria Rechtorikova, New York

# 17,542:

5:46 am PDT, Oct 23, Anna Biernat, Connecticut
Because we need to make a change, protect women and children, as well as, their families.

# 17,541:

8:29 pm PDT, Oct 22, Jennifer Morales, Connecticut
When will enough be enough? Power struggles will continue between weak, suppressed poor (financially and emotionally) males in third world countries and the victims they attempt to expel their rage through. These people need help...all of them.

# 17,540:

7:49 pm PDT, Oct 22, Josefa Arias, Connecticut

# 17,539:

7:32 pm PDT, Oct 22, Alejandro Simo, Connecticut
I can't stand to see people suffer.

# 17,538:

6:53 pm PDT, Oct 22, Karoline Sikorski, Connecticut
STOP RAPE OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE CONGO!!!!!!!!!!!!

# 17,537:

5:30 pm PDT, Oct 22, Sylwia Szumlas, Connecticut
"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing." /Edmunt Burke/ I say no to evil.

# 17,536:

5:25 pm PDT, Oct 22, Lesya Fryhela, Connecticut
I am a woman. It is very important to stop it!!!

# 17,535:

12:45 pm PDT, Oct 22, Heidi Ojeda, Connecticut

# 17,534:

12:35 pm PDT, Oct 22, Max Grabar, Connecticut
It is important because women in my opinion should not be mistreated by violance or any other means. Therefore IVAWA can help eliminate violance against women worldwide!

# 17,533:

12:28 pm PDT, Oct 22, Theresa Tribuzio, Connecticut

# 17,532:

11:38 am PDT, Oct 22, Michele Wetschko, Connecticut
I am a woman, and I don't want anything like this, happen to me. If I would be a mother I am very sure that it would deeply upset me, if my daughter would be raped. I believe that no woman should experience rape, brutal sexual assault, or even being the victim of HIV.

# 17,531:

9:51 am PDT, Oct 22, Shannon McAvoy, Connecticut
As a victim of assault I cannot begin to tell how many ways the violation on one’s body negatively affects your life and the way you live - for years beyond the when the physical wounds heal. The psychological rape occurs forever and part of your mind will never heal completely. I have had counseling and it has taken years to address the pain and trauma. These women will not necessarily have the same benefits so their mental wounds will bleed for their lifetime.

# 17,530:

9:25 am PDT, Oct 22, Laura Ryan, Connecticut
A country can only be safe and healthy if both its men and its women are kept safe and healthy.

# 17,529:

9:09 am PDT, Oct 22, Jan Rajniak, New York

# 17,528:

8:58 am PDT, Oct 22, Eva Tothova, Connecticut

# 17,527:

8:57 am PDT, Oct 22, Laura Kerepesi, Connecticut

# 17,526:

3:42 pm PDT, Oct 17, PRINCE MOYO, United Kingdom

# 17,525:

5:15 pm PDT, Oct 15, Carole Hagen, Oregon

# 17,524:

4:53 pm PDT, Oct 14, Sania Parekh, Texas

# 17,523:

6:23 pm PDT, Oct 13, Krystal Martinez, Texas

# 17,522:

8:10 pm PDT, Oct 11, Taylor Markey, Arizona

# 17,521:

1:35 pm PDT, Oct 11, Christina Anderson, Canada

# 17,520:

12:46 pm PDT, Oct 9, Dawn Evans, Pennsylvania

# 17,519:

6:29 am PDT, Oct 5, Jenna Davis, Georgia
To protect the women of Africa

# 17,518:

4:32 pm PDT, Oct 4, Allison DuVal, North Carolina

# 17,517:

9:39 am PDT, Sep 23, Abhaya A, India

# 17,516:

1:26 pm PDT, Sep 22, Angelia Rivera, Massachusetts

# 17,515:

8:50 pm PDT, Sep 18, Evangelia Manthoyianni, Greece

# 17,514:

8:25 pm PDT, Sep 18, Kristen Potter, Missouri

# 17,513:

4:53 pm PDT, Sep 18, Name not displayed, Austria

# 17,512:

9:25 am PDT, Sep 17, Didi Ananda Anudhyaná, Colorado

# 17,511:

1:33 pm PDT, Sep 15, Marguerite Beckley, Illinois
Countless interviews of rebel fighters in the DRC reveal the complete lack of compunction felt by the men and boys perpetrating mass rape. Without international pressure and actual punitive measures, these men and boys who have been brainwashed into believing that rape is their right as soldiers, will continue the violence against women when the fighting stops and even more generations will be lost. This must end now.

# 17,510:

2:15 pm PDT, Sep 11, Name not displayed, Kansas
As a girl, I understand that many girls have wishes for abstinense as I do myself. Raping doesn't help this decision.

# 17,509:

1:07 pm PDT, Sep 11, Name not displayed, Serbia And Montenegro

# 17,508:

12:55 pm PDT, Sep 11, Allie Warnick, Arkansas

# 17,507:

8:33 pm PDT, Sep 7, Ariel C, Canada
These are horrendous and barbaric acts of violence against women and girls. This is just horrifying in this modern world that this is going on and these women desperately need help to be saved from their fear and suffering. There are alot of us in the world who care what happens to these women and girls and I implore you to please have compassion for these women and girls and help them to escape this horrible violence. Search your hearts and I am sure you will find that you cannot turn your back on these women and girls. Imagine if this was happening to someone you love. I pray you will act as soon as possible so that they do not have to suffer much longer. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

# 17,506:

5:48 pm PDT, Sep 6, Andrea Brooks, Arizona

# 17,505:

12:47 am PDT, Sep 5, Name not displayed, Spain

# 17,504:

11:07 am PDT, Sep 4, Patricia Kliewer, Missouri

# 17,503:

12:19 pm PDT, Sep 3, Corynne Gregory, Indiana
By eliminating violence against women all around the globe, we as a species will have a better chance of living a better life.

# 17,502:

3:22 pm PDT, Aug 30, Name not displayed, Arizona

# 17,501:

3:38 pm PDT, Aug 28, Noelle Cruz, California

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Stop Rape of Women and Girls in the Congo

This petition has been closed.