February 2007

Take Action! Repond to the murders of women and girls in Guatemala! Below is an action alert from our friends at the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA.

How to take action:

• Call your congressional representative;
• Send a letter to your representative;
• Send an automated email message to your representative using Amnesty International’s online action center:

Check to see if your representative is already a co-sponsor

URGE YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TO CO-SPONSOR RESOLUTION 100 TO CONDEMN VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN GUATEMALA

Many of you are familiar with the heart-wrenching story of María Isabel Veliz. Many of you know that María was only fifteen when she was abducted. Her body was found days later in a vacant lot, with signs of rape and torture. She had been tied up, strangled, and stabbed. Her left leg was broken, and she died of a severe blow to the head.

This awful end to María’s short life is tragic and unconscionable. Yet, even more unsettling is the fact that she is only one of more than 3,000 women and girls brutally murdered in Guatemala since 2000. Almost every year the number of femicides has risen. According to police statistics, the number of women slain has risen steadily from 213 in 2000, to 307 in 2001, to 383 in 2003, to 531 in 2004, and to 665 in 2005. The first available statistics for 2006 list the number of women killed at 589.

Although the number of murders is alarming, the killing of women is not simply a question of statistics. A key characteristic in a large number of cases is the brutality with which the murders were committed. Like María, many of the victims were raped and tortured first and their mutilated bodies were left in public places for members of their communities to find. The majority of the victims were young, poor women under the age of 40. Several were students, housewives, factory workers, domestic employees, and workers in the informal sector, while others were professionals.

The Guatemalan government’s inaction in the face of these brutal murders suggests a public policy of tolerance for gender-based violence. Progress in the investigation of the murders of women has been fraught with numerous shortcomings, including a lack of technical capacity to preserve crime scenes, interrogate witnesses, and collect and preserve evidence, as well as a lack of political will to resolve the murders.

TAKE ACTION HERE!

In the wake of these atrocious acts of violence against María and countless other sisters, daughters, and wives of Guatemala, we become paralyzed, not knowing how to respond and what to do. It seems that our lone voices are muffled out by louder constituencies. However, our small actions and efforts do matter and are effective! Together, they form a larger, collective voice that we ultimately hope will end violence against women in Guatemala and bring justice to the tragic loss of María and so many others.

In November and December of 2006 we asked you to contact your congressional representative and urge them to co-sponsor a resolution to condemn the violence against women and encourage Guatemalan authorities to do more in bringing the perpetrators of these atrocities to justice. Your efforts did not go unnoticed. As a result of your phone calls, letters, emails, and faxes, more than fifty representatives co-sponsored the Resolution; however, unfortunately it never made it to the House floor during the final days of the 109th Congress.

Nevertheless, we are given another opportunity to raise our collective voices in condemning and ending these acts of femicide. On January 25, 2007, Representative Hilda Solis (D-CA), with the support of Representatives Dan Burton (R-IN), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Tom Lantos (D-CA), introduced House Resolution 100 to condemn the murders. The resolution:

• Condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of women and girls in Guatemala;
• Expresses condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of victims;
• Recognizes the courageous struggle of the victim’s families in seeking justice for the victims; and
• Recommends specific actions on the part of the US President, Secretary of State, and US Ambassador to Guatemala, to encourage Guatemala to properly investigate, resolve, and prevent these crimes.

H.Res.100 is an important step Representatives can take to stop the cycle of violence against women in Guatemala and seek justice for the families of the victims.

Therefore, GHRC/USA asks that you contact your congressional representative today to request that he/she co-sponsor the Resolution! You can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected to your representative’s office. Or you can find your Representative’s contact information from the following website: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml, and then email or fax them a letter. Whether via a phone call or a letter, let your Representative know that as a constituent you would like to see him/her co-sponsor H.Res.100 to support efforts to end to the killings of women in Guatemala. Members interested in co-sponsoring the resolution should contact Representative Hilda Solis’ office at 202-225-5464. If your member would like more information about the issue of violence against women in Guatemala, he/she can contact Marty Jordan at the Guatemala Human Rights Commission at 202-529-6599 or via email at ghrc-usa@ghrc-usa.org.

Unless we take action and convince our Congressional Representatives to put pressure on Guatemalan authorities, then these senseless acts of violence against women and girls like María will continue. You can make your own phone call or use GHRC’s drafted phone call below. Or you can send your own letter or use GHRC’s drafted message below. Thank you for your time and solidarity with the families of victims of femicide in Guatemala.

DRAFTED PHONE CALL!

You can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected to your representative’s office. When the representative’s phone is answered, say politely:

"My name is _____, and I live in [your town/city], and I would like to speak with the foreign policy aide.”

When you are transferred to the foreign policy aide, say politely:

"My name is _____, and I live in [your town/city], and as a person concerned about the tragic violence against women in Guatemala, I would like Congressman (woman) [name] to co-sponsor House Resolution 100 that condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of women and girls in Guatemala; expresses condolences to the families of victims, recognizes the struggle of the victim’s families in seeking justice, and recommends specific actions on the part of the US President, Secretary of State, and US Ambassador to Guatemala, to encourage Guatemala to properly investigate, report, and prevent these crimes. Representative [name]’s support of Resolution 100 will help end the killings of women in Guatemala. If Representative [name] is interested in co-sponsoring the resolution, you can contact Congresswoman Hilda Solis’ office. If you would like more information about violence against women in Guatemala you can contact the Guatemala Human Rights Commission at 202-529-6599. Thank you for your time.”

DRAFTED MESSAGE READY TO SEND!

Dear Representative (Surname),

Since 2000, more than 3,000 women and girls have been killed in Guatemala in a tragic epidemic of unsolved murders. I am writing to kindly request that you co-sponsor House Resolution 100, which condemns the recent cycle of violence against women in Guatemala, seeks justice for the families of the victims, and encourages Guatemalan authorities to do more to prevent these acts of femicide.

In Guatemala, women wake up wondering who will be next, as the number of women murdered each year continues to rise. According to police statistics, the number of women slain has risen steadily from 213 in 2000, to 307 in 2001, to 383 in 2003, to 531 in 2004, and to 665 in 2005. The first available statistics for 2006 list the number of women killed at 589. Although the number of murders is alarming, the killing of women is not simply a question of statistics. A key characteristic in a large number of cases is the brutality with which the murders were committed. In many cases, the victims were raped, strangled, decapitated or otherwise mutilated.

The majority of the victims were young, poor women under the age of 40. Several were students, housewives, factory workers, domestic employees, and workers in the informal sector, while others were professionals.

In the face of this growing wave of brutal killings, the Guatemalan government has failed to bring those responsible to justice. Progress in the investigation of the murders of women has been fraught with numerous shortcomings, including a lack of technical capacity to preserve crime scenes, interrogate witnesses, and collect and preserve evidence, as well as a lack of political will to resolve the murders. Moreover, family members working to resolve their loved ones' murder have been threatened, intimidated, and forced into hiding.

As a US Members of Congress, you can play a vital role in supporting efforts to resolve these brutal killings. On January 25, 2007, Representative Hilda Solis (D-CA), with the support of Representatives Dan Burton (R-IN), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Tom Lantos (D-CA), introduced House Resolution 100 to condemn the murders. The bipartisan resolution condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of women and girls in Guatemala; expresses condolences to the families of victims; recognizes the courageous struggle of the victim’s families in seeking justice; and recommends specific actions on the part of the US President, Secretary of State, and US Ambassador to Guatemala, to encourage Guatemalan authorities to properly investigate, resolve, and prevent these crimes.

House Resolution 100 is an important step that you can take to stop the cycle of violence against women in Guatemala and seek justice for the families of the victims. Once again, I kindly request that you co-sponsor this important resolution. To co-sponsor the resolution with other members of Congress, please contact Congresswoman Hilda Solis’ Office at 202-225-5464. In addition, if you have any questions regarding violence against women, please feel free to contact the Guatemala Human Rights Commission at 202-529-6599.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding your support of H.R. 100. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS