Monday, November 26, 2012

Say No-UNiTE To End Violence Against Women



Join forces with the Say No- UNiTE To End Violence Against Women campaign.  Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women is a social mobilization platform on ending violence against women and girls.  November 25, 2012  marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, kicking off 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence that highlight the connection between women, violence, and human rights.  This campaign stands as a reminder to the world, local organizations, and most importantly, ordinary citizens to say “No” and unite to end violence against women.
My local Amnesty International chapter’s focus project for this campaign will be Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban.  I  urge you, too, to do a simple, but powerful gesture; to send a message of support to Malala, her schoolmates and friends and let them know you stand with them and for the rights of women and girls everywhere. It was a shocking act of violence: 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai was shot by Taliban gunmen, and her condition is slowly improving in a UK hospital after a bullet was removed from her brain. Two fellow students, Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Ahmed, were also injured in the attack.
The Taliban targeted Malala -- a child -- specifically for her human rights activism. Malala has bravely spoken out for the rights of girls to receive an education. Her father ran one of the last girls' schools to defy a Taliban ban against female education in Pakistan's Swat Valley, and both Malala and her family have received threats from the Taliban in the past.
You can easily visit the Amnesty International’s homepage and click on the feature about Malala and submit your letter online. You can customize your message of solidarity or use the sample provided. Whatever you do, take action.    http://www.amnestyusa.org/

When you have submitted your letter of support, email me at vwolf12@hotmail.com , so I can share your messages of support and include them in my chapter’s campaign efforts.