|
July 18, 2007
Dear Friend,
Have you read Gula’s story, which recently appeared on the Washington Times’ editorial page? Her struggle is emblematic of the hardships women face in a land of deeply rooted traditions, where tribalism is in some cases compounded by a strict interpretation of Islam. Like Gula, many women living in Iraq’s rural villages are constrained by conservative cultural values. Bride prices are negotiated while little girls are still in the cradle, female genital mutilation is a non-negotiable rite of passage, and education for girls is extremely limited, in some cases non-existent. Honor crimes and other forms of gender-based violence are on the rise in places like Gula’s village.
Urban women in Iraq’s Kurdish region have far more opportunities and rights than their Arab sisters in the South, but rural women across the country – regardless of ethnicity or creed – share an unhappy plight.
Iraq’s President, Jalal Talabani, has worked to enforce laws protecting women’s rights and punishing those who kill and abuse women. The legal code has improved, but in remote areas, tribal law still rules the land. As recently as several months ago a Yezidi girl in Iraq was stoned by an angry mob. Her gruesome death is an urgent reminder to us all of the hundreds of other young women killed or abused who do not make headlines on CNN.
The Leadership Council for Human Rights (LCHR) knows that empowerment through education can change women’s lives. Literacy is the key to unlocking human rights – a woman who can read can discover that she is endowed with the same fundamental freedoms as her male kin. Learning, then, is the first step to gender equity and positive change for the next generation. For this reason, LCHR has established a mobile library project in the villages around Halabja, the site of massive suffering following chemical attacks in 1988. More recently, this region has been strongly influenced by Islamic groups such as Ansar al-Islam, which has led to substantial restrictions on women.
Through its local project partners, both mobile library staff and dedicated volunteers, LCHR has been able to penetrate some of the most conservative areas, which are typically off-limits to Westerners. We are working with the region’s most vulnerable women and youth to increase literacy skills, enhance awareness of basic human rights, and foster dialogue on important topics including domestic violence and suicide prevention, health, nutrition, and grassroots civil society development.
LCHR’s mobile library is touching hundreds of lives in places where the need for such a project is greatest, with tangible results. Women and children are learning to read, learning their rights, and imagining a brighter future for themselves and generations to come.
Please help LCHR continue its vital work in Iraq. We aim to empower thousands of women, and through your generosity this vision will become a reality. LCHR is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax deductible. Thank you for considering this special appeal to expand the mobile library to other villages desperately in need of its services. 100 percent of funds donated will be spent to help women on the ground. Each dollar goes a long way!
Your donation of:
$25 allows LCHR to purchase new books for the mobile library.
$50 assists in covering the cost of fuel for the mobile library.
$100 outfits the mobile library with additional bookshelves
$500 buys materials for a human rights education seminar.
$1,000 covers all operating costs for the mobile library in three villages for one month.
DONATE NOW
Thank you for your generous support!
Sincerely,
Kathryn Cameron Porter
President
Leadership Council for Human Rights
The Leadership Council for Human Rights
444 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 841
Washington, DC, 20001
202-638-0066
www.leadership-council.org
|
