Fwd: 24 hours left -- The last straw....

[aungkywe moe]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Emma Ruby-Sachs - Avaaz.org <av...@avaaz.org>
Date: Wed, Jan 9, 2013 at 4:17 AM
Subject: 24 hours left -- The last straw....
To: "aungk...@gmail.com" <aungk...@gmail.com>

Incredible, over 900,000 signers in days! We have 24 hours until the commission closes -- let's blow through a million!

Dear Avaaz community,

A 23-year-old student has died after being gang raped on a bus for hours. This is the last straw in the global war on women. Join massive protests in India, and call on the government to strengthen laws and launch a major public education campaign to challenge and shame the grotesque attitudes that led to this violence:

She was a 23-year-old physical therapy student who boarded a bus in Delhi last month. Six men locked the door, and savagely raped her for hours, including with a metal rod. They dumped her naked in the street, and after bravely fighting for her life, she died last weekend.  

Across India, people are responding in massive protests to say enough is enough. In India a woman is raped every 22 minutes, and few see justice. Globally, a staggering 7 in 10 women will be physically or sexually abused in their lifetime. This horror in Delhi is the last straw -- it's 2013, and the brutal, venal, global war on women must stop. We can start by drawing the line in India.

We urgently need both stronger law enforcement and a massive public education program to change the grotesque but common male attitudes that permit violence against women. If 1 million of us join the call for action, we can help make this young woman's horror the last straw, and the beginning of a new hope:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_indias_war_on_women_rb/?bZqGoab&v=20759

The ringleader of the woman's rapists coldly says she deserved it because she dared to stand up to him. Blaming the victim and other outrageous attitudes are found across society, including in the police who continually fail to investigate rape. Such views repress women and corrupt men everywhere. Massively funded public education campaigns have radically shifted social behaviour on drunk driving and smoking, and can impact the treatment of women. Tackling the root causes of India’s rape epidemic is vital, alongside better laws and faster legal processes.

Advertising in India is relatively cheap, so a significant funding commitment could blanket airwaves in multiple media markets for a sustained period of time. The ads should target male subcultures where conservative misogyny thrives, directly challenging and shaming those attitudes, ideally using messengers like popular sports figures that carry authority with the audience.

We can influence the official Commission set up to find ways to crack down on India's wave of sexual violence. If we can show real success in shifting attitudes in India, the model can be applied to other countries. The money spent will more than pay for itself by reducing poverty and promoting development, since treatment and empowerment of women has been identified as one of the greatest single drivers of social and economic progress. Click to send a message directly to the Indian government:   

http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_indias_war_on_women_rb/?bZqGoab&v=20759

From opposing the stoning of women in Iran, to supporting the reproductive rights of women in Morocco, Uzbekistan and Honduras, to lobbying for real action to counter the growing 'rape trade' in trafficked women and girls, our community has been on the front lines of the fight to end the war on women. This new year begins with new resolve in India.  

With hope and determination, 

Emma, Ricken, Luis, Meredith, Iain, Ian, Marie, Michelle, Alaphia, Allison and the rest of the Avaaz team 

MORE INFORMATION

India gang-rape: Five suspects charged in Delhi (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20896031

Verma committee flooded with suggestions on rape (News One India)
http://news.oneindia.in/2012/12/26/verma-committee-flooded-with-suggestions-on-rape-1120658.html

India's 'rape culture' can be changed: women authors (Hindustan Times)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Books/Chunk-HT-UI-BooksSectionPage-LiteraryBuzz/India-s-rape-culture-can-be-changed-Women-authors/Article1-984318.aspx

Activists woe low conviction rate, long trials (Times of India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Activists-woe-low-conviction-rate-long-trials/articleshow/17657522.cms

Delhi Gang-Rape Underscores Rising Sexual Violence Against Indian Women (IB Times)
http://www.ibtimes.com/delhi-gang-rape-underscores-rising-sexual-violence-against-indian-women-944030

Rise in rapes across India (ZeeNews)
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/rapes-in-india-rise-by-873-percent-from-1953_817894.html

70% of women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime (UN report)
http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/pdf/apromiseisapromise.pdf

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