Photos from the VAWA petition drop

Here we are in front of Bill Frist's office, the last place we dropped off petitions. VAWA was FINALLY passed by both the House and Senate over the weekend. For a detailed analysis of the final bill go the

Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act!

Congress is about to adjourn for the year and they still haven't reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act. In order to ensure that no funding is lost for the domestic violence and sexual assault programs and services that depend on VAWA, it needs to be voted on before the end of the year - basically this week!

You can help by signing onto Amnesty International USA's petition or by calling your congress members directly. To find your MemberÂ’s contact information, including phone and fax numbers, visit http://www.house.gov/, http://www.senate.gov/, or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senators and Representative.

Yesterday, a group of people representing AIUSA (including Marla and myself from the action team), Girls Inc., NOW, and Break the Cycle delivered over 100,000 petitions to key members of congress. My arms are still sore from lugging the huge binders of signatures around all afternoon. The highlight of my day was swiping a Little Debbie snack from Bill Frist's lobby -it's the little things in life . . . The real high point of the day for me was meeting the people behind the scenes (the government relations folks at NOW, AIUSA, Girls Inc., and Break the Cycle as well as the congressional staffers) who have been working so hard to get VAWA reauthorized.

I should have pictures to post soon - Janel

Ni Una Mas!

I'm finally posting an update on the Juarez rally the action team organized a couple of weekends ago. On a very cold Saturday in early December, between 40-45 people showed up for a rally to support the murdered and disappeared women of Ciudad Juarez and their families (If we counted the bike messengers gathering for a Saturday ride next to our group, we would have well over a hundred!)

We had a great group of speakers that helped build public awareness about the situation in Juarez. Eric Olson (AIUSA), Matthew Pietz (DC Women's Human Rights Action Team), Macrena Cardenas (Mexican Solidarity Network), and Laurie Freeman (Washington Office on Latin America) all spoke about the femicide in Ciudad Juarez. In between the experts' speeches, members of the action team read stories of the disappeared and murdered women in an attempt to give them a voice at the rally.

We gathered over 60 signatures to submit to the Mexican Embassy here in Washington, DC. We'll send the signatures in with pictures from the rally. Thanks to everyone who came out! Janel

Join the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team on Saturday, December 3 at Dupont Circle to demand justice for the women of Ciudad Juarez.

On March 9 resolutions conveying the U.S. Congress’ sympathy to the families of the nearly 400 young women who have been murdered and abducted in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico since 1993 were introduced in the House and Senate. The goal is to raise public awareness about the tragedy, express Congressional concern, and propose a set of actions to deal with the murders and abductions of these young women.

This weekend the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team is planning a rally in support of this legislation. We are hoping to help raise awareness of the tragic violence against women in Mexico and to ensure that the Mexican authorities seek justice in these cases through our support of the legislation.

¡Ni Una Mas!: End Femicide in Mexico!
Time: 2:30 pm in
Place: Dupont Circle.

For more information about the rally or the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team email dcwhrat@yahoo.com. For more information about the femicide in Mexico or to take action online go to Amnesty International's Online Action Center.