Support House Resolution on Violence Against Women in Guatemala!

Earlier this year, activists across the country helped secure passage of congressional resolutions calling upon the Mexican government to thoroughly investigate the hundreds of unsolved murders of women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua and to punish the perpetrators.

Many U.S. citizens have not been aware, however, of the epidemic of gender-based violence in Mexico’s southern neighbor, Guatemala. OVER TWO THOUSAND Guatemalan women and girls have been abducted, raped, mutilated, and murdered since 2001. Nonetheless, there have been very few arrests—and even fewer convictions—in these cases. In fact, the rate at which women are being killed has increased during the past five years.

The good news is that Congressman Dan Burton has introduced a resolution calling on the Guatemalan government to take meaningful action to stop violence against women. Please call your representative and urge him to cosponsor H.Res.1081. Please call NOW because a vote may take place in less than two weeks. You can find out the contact information for your representative by entering your zip code at www.house.gov.

Amnesty has also set up an online action.

I will let you know if a similar resolution is introduced in the Senate.