As you know, Amnesty International is planning a day of lobbying in support of women’s rights following this weekend’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Washington, DC. Activists from across the country will be meeting with their congressional offices to ask them to sign a letter to the Mexican government calling for justice in the case of Bárbara Italia Méndez. Ms. Méndez was one of several women arrested, beaten, and raped by Mexican police following a demonstration in San Salvador Atenco in 2006. We will also ask our representatives to be prepared to support the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) when it is introduced in the near future. This legislation would seek to coordinate and improve U.S. efforts to protect women and girls against violence through various foreign policy programs.
If you are staying to lobby on Monday, I look forward to working with you! Even if you can’t stay (or can’t attend the AGM), however, you can still support these efforts. Call your Congressman’s office and urge him to sign the letter on Ms. Méndez that is being circulated by Representative Hilda Solis. Be sure to mention that you also want him to support the International Violence Against Women Act when it is introduced!
(You can find the name and contact information for your Congressman by entering your zip code at http://www.house.gov/).
You can also take part in an online action regarding Ms. Méndez’s case. It calls Members of Congress to make sure that safeguards are put into police/military assistance to Mexico and Central America to prevent further abuses.
Thanks,
Larry Ladutke
NJ Legislative Coordinator, AIUSA
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