Irene Khan / Amnesty International – 2008-05-10 22:03:52

https://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b.4077779/apps/ka/sd/donorcustom.asp?msource=W85VAWSHD&auid=3637658&kntaw25429=75BACE2B0D8547AC959999D9CC51883C

Kavira Muraulu survived rape and violent attacks by government soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Honorata Barinjibanwa was just 18 years old when she was kidnapped from her village in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwandan outlaw fighters last April. She spent five long months tied to a tree — her captors untied her only to gang rape her. She survived to tell her story, but remains deeply wounded by the attacks.

Rape is a weapon of war in so many countries around the world, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia and Sudan. And one thing is clear — the problem of violence against women vastly exceeds the resources currently devoted to stopping it.

Through our Stop Violence Against Women campaign, Amnesty International is leading an effort to end this systematic violation of women’s basic human rights. But we have a long road ahead of us to ensure that our work brings real changes for women.

Despite overwhelming barriers, none of this is inevitable or irreversible. Your gift today can bring urgently needed funds to Amnesty’s grassroots efforts to end the most brutal forms of violence against women in more than 36 countries around the world.

Amnesty and its coalition partners were the driving force behind the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) introduced in Congress last October.

This bill would authorize nearly $700 million for local programs and services to help end the most brutal forms of violence against women, including honor killings, bride burnings, genital mutilation, mass rapes in war and domestic violence. Its passage is a critical first step in improving the lives of millions of women and girls around the world — women just like Honorata Barinjibanwa.

Please join me today in honoring our mothers, sisters and daughters by making a tax-deductible gift to support Amnesty’s Stop Violence Against Women campaign. Together, we can put an end to the horrors women face every day around the world.

Thank you for your continued commitment to advancing the human rights of women and girls worldwide.

Irene Khan is Secretary General of Amnesty International