Dear Friend,
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and we call upon you to take a moment to reflect on the silent terror of rape and sexual violence in situations of conflict across the African continent.
Many women who are survivors of rape and other forms of sexual violence suffer silently because speaking out usually result in stigma and rejection by their communities and families. Consequently many cases of rape and sexual violence go unreported and perpetrators go unpunished.
Break the Silence and join us in speaking out against these heinous crimes. At Africa Action we believe that breaking the silence and ending the systematic use of rape and sexual violence against women and girls is one of the most urgent moral responsibilities of our time.
To mark the International Day of the Eliminations of Violence against Women, Africa Action released Break The Silence: Stop Violence Against Women in Darfur and Sudan – a public education resource.
Unfortunately women across the continent, not only in Sudan are struggling with the long term effects of rape. From the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Guinea, women and girls must be protected, victims of rape need to be supported, and perpetrators of violence must be brought to justice.
To help raise awareness for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women add Africa Action's twitter ribbon to your twitter and facebook account! Follow Africa Action on twitter for more information and to add the twibbon to your social network pages.
www.twitter.com/AfricaAction
Thank you,
Staff @ Africa Action
www.africaaction.org
************
The struggle for justice continues
The following information was sent in on 15 November by our Central Region Director and Illinois President, Karen Ford. We share to make you aware:
The case of Heather Ellis, the young college student who may face 15 years in prison for cutting in line at Walmart. Review the facts in the case for yourself. We are providing links for you at the end of this entry. It is reported that she was only joining her cousin who was already in line. Should this altercation have ended up with police being called? Was there a crime and if so, should it cost this young woman her future?
The events took place in the small town of Kennet, MO.
Kennett is a sleepy southeast Missouri town that rests in the state's conservative “Boothill region”. It has a White population of over 90 percent so, African-Americans are an extreme minority at less than 9 percent. There is a long pattern of racial injustice in this area, according to civil rights advocates.
A petition has been composed by a group known as Your Black World Coalition to fight against what is happening to Heather. Some groups are even reaching out to the Attorney General of the United States, the Attorney General of the State of Missouri, and anyone else who can help this young woman achieve justice.
To read more about Heather's case, visit:
www.TheHeatherEllisCase.com
also go to The St. Louis American's for an in depth article:
