Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Bloggers Unite for Human Rights

Bloggers Unite

I kept putting off writing this blog but since it has to be done by the 15th (which is tomorrow for me) I decided to.

The first time I heard about Darfur my heart went out to the innocent women who were tortured, raped, and beaten daily by their own people, the ones who were supposed to protect them. How could human beings do this and not feel guilty about it?

I read this on the Darfur webpage:

The conflict in Darfur, Sudan, has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including systematic and widespread murder, rape, abduction and displacement. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed by both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks, and over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced. Though violence persists, the UN Security Council has mandated what may be an effective peacekeeping operation to guarantee security for the people of Darfur.

How can we, as humans, sit back and let this happen to our fellow brothers and sisters?

This part really tore at my heart strings, especially as a feminist:

Background: Women and Girls in Darfur

Since February 2003, armed actors in Darfur, including Sudanese government forces, the pro-government Janjawid militia and rebel groups have used rape, displacement, and mass murder as weapons of war. Women and girls, especially those who have been displaced from their communities, have been subject to acts of sexual violence and other brutal assaults. Many women and girls that survive this violence suffer long-term mental and physical illness, social stigmatization and significant economic hardship.

Rising insecurity in the region now threatens to further escalate the human rights and humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Darfur and eastern Chad.

How can I as a woman let this happen?

There are some people that think rape is about sex, its not. Power is the superior being of rape and these men are using rape to overpower these women and girls and are getting away with it everyday. Some of these girls are even as young as 8. As a mother of a 10 month old daughter, it really hits hard to even imagine something like that happening to her. I read this story about survivors of rape and its hard to even think about that happening to my loved ones.

I signed up for Women for Women International after receiving some information from a really great humanitarian. In a few weeks I was matched up with a woman from Rwanda, it wasn't Darfur but its a great way to show other women that we care. When you sign up for the sponsorship you pay 27 dollars a month which isn't too much, about a dollar a day and you can e-mail your sponsored sister or write her snailmail. I sent an e-mail a few weeks ago but haven't heard anything back which I was told beforehand due to translators and the sisters not having time to write back. I'm sure she appreciates anything she receives and I'm more than happy to help her.

If you would like to help you can go to any of the sites I have listed above. We all as humans need to look out for others, especially ones who cannot protect themselves. Look at them as if they were your mother, sister, aunt, cousin, and even your own daughter. Look at the men being victimized as your father, brother, uncle, cousin, and son.

Its hard to see that happening isn't it? It happens each day in Darfur and other countries around the world.

Thank you for reading this and I hope this post will open your eyes to whats going on.

1 comments:

Rocky Turner said...

I should be getting a new sister from the Congo soon! Women for Women is such an AMAZING organization!

 
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