CODEPINK: Women For Peace

Money For Refugees Not War!

The US-led invasion of Iraq has led to a refugee crisis of staggering proportions. Some 1.2 million refugees are stranded in Syria, over 500,000 in Jordan, and more than 2 million people are displaced inside Iraq. As groups and individuals concerned about the well-being of women and families worldwide, please urge Congress to act now to address the plight of millions of Iraqi refugees.

Sign Our Letter Below and We Will Deliver it to Congress!

Dear Representative,
 
The US-led invasion of Iraq has led to a refugee crisis of staggering proportions. Some 1.2 million refugees are stranded in Syria, over 500,000 in Jordan, and more than 2 million people are displaced inside Iraq. As groups and individuals concerned about the well-being of women and families worldwide, we urge you to act now to address the plight of millions of Iraqi refugees. 
 
Most refugees are women and children, and many are single mothers. They are unable to work in the host countries where they are undocumented and are struggling to pay the rising costs of rent, food and medicines. Desperate parents are sending their children to work instead of school, often in oppressive conditions. Increasing numbers of women are driven to prostitution. As a result of the horrific violence they experienced in Iraq, trauma and depression are widespread and, for the most part, untreated.
 
The host countries of Syria and Jordan, overwhelmed by the burden, have closed their borders. Even provinces within Iraq have closed their doors to Iraqi refugees because of lack of international assistance to help provide for the massive influx of Iraqis fleeing from their homes. Recent reports from the Iraqi Government, UN agencies and international NGOs all warn of the threat to Iraq's orphaned and vulnerable children. The United Nations, humanitarian organizations and religious groups trying to provide services are grossly underfunded. So far this year, the United States has given only $208 million in direct humanitarian aid for displaced Iraqis. Shamefully, this is less than what we are spending EVERY DAY on military operations in Iraq.
 
In the coming weeks, you will be voting on the final passage of yet another Emergency Supplement Funding Bill of $162 billion to keep the war going. This funding will only exacerbate the violence. A recent study by Women to Women International found that 71 percent of Iraqi women said they did not feel protected by U.S./U.K soldiers and 65 percent said that the presence of these troops is making security worse.
 
We urge you to dramatically reorient U.S. policies and priorities to address the urgent needs of Iraqi women and children:
 
1. Stop funding the war. It is time to recognize, as General Petraeus himself has said, that there is no military solution to the problem in Iraq. We must withdraw our troops and use our diplomatic power and the help of the international community to promote a reconciliation process that will end the violence and allow refugees to return home safely.
 
2. In the meantime, we must recognize our enormous responsibility toward the refugees and fund 50 percent of all appeals from international organizations serving Iraqis.
 
3. We must provide significant financial aid to Syria and Jordan to compensate them for the strain on health, education, electricity, water and other basic services they have been providing for the refugees.
 
4. The U.S. has been woefully inadequate in resettling Iraqis in the United States, including those refugees who were targets of violence for having worked with the United States. The 2008 quota of 12,000 should be met and then increased to at least 30,000 Iraqis a year. Priority should be given to the most vulnerable, including single women with children, and more resources and personnel must be allocated to expedite the processing of refugee applications. 

With 8 million Iraqis living in poverty and more than 15% of the population having fled their homes, we urge you to recognize our profound moral and legal responsibility to help the Iraqis whose lives have been devastated by the U.S. invasion and the sectarian violence it unleashed. The Iraqi refugees, particularly mothers, are growing more desperate every day. For the sake of all the innocent victims of our disastrous policy, please, act now.
 
Sincerely,

Jodie Evans, Co-founder CODEPINK: Women for Peace, Women’s Media Center
Medea Benjamin, Co-founder Global Exchange and CODEPINK: Women for Peace
Gael Murphy, Co-founder CODEPINK: Women for Peace
Kathy Kelly, Voices for Creative Non-Violence
Terry Tempest Williams, Author
Mimi Kennedy, Chair, Progressive Democrats of America
Ann Wright, retired Army Colonel, US Diplomat, Service Women Action Network
Karen Dolan, Cities for Peace
Cora Weiss, 1000 Women for Peace
Diane Wilson, author and environmentalist
Samina Faheem, American Muslim Voice
Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez, Institute for MulitRacial Justice
Holly Near, singer, songwriter
Kelly Campbell, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Renee Saucedo, La Raza Centro Legal
Alice O. Lynch, Black, Indian, Hispanic and Asian Women in Action
Sonali Kolhatkar, Co-Director of Afghan Women’s Mission
Phyllis Bennis, Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies
Pamela Schwartz, National Priorities Project
Jo Vallentine, People for Nuclear Disarmament
Marta Drury, 1000 Women for Peace
Ellen Barry, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Kim Gandy, National Organization for Women (NOW)
Maxine Hong Kingston, Author
Starhawk, Author
Maggie Hodgson, Co-Chair, National Day of Healing and Reconciliation
Eisha Mason, Non-violent activist
Theresa Bonpane, Founder, Office of the Americas
Dr. Dorothy I. Height, Chair and President Emerita, National Council of Negro Women
Alfreda V. Davis, Executive Director, National Council of Negro Women
Carolyna Marks, Founding Director, World Wall for Peace, Peace Empowerment Process

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

State/Province

Zip/Postal Code*

Country*

Display in list as "Anonymous"

0-25 of 6576 signatures

Number	Date	Name	Location
6576	February 04, 2010	Anonymous	, CA, US
6575	January 12, 2010	Andrea Gerig	, IN, US
6574	January 12, 2010	Enrique Rodriguez	, NY, US
6573	January 07, 2010	Anonymous	, OR, United States
6572	January 06, 2010	kim duboise	, , US
6571	December 31, 2009	unai zarraolandia	, ES
6570	December 21, 2009	Amanda Hughes	, MI, US
6569	December 20, 2009	billy downs	, GA, US
6568	December 14, 2009	Anonymous	, WI, US
6567	December 14, 2009	Marjorie Windus	, WA, US
6566	December 13, 2009	Carole Mock	, CO, United States
6565	December 07, 2009	beatriz mitchell	, VA, US
6564	December 07, 2009	beatriz mitchell	, VA, US
6563	December 07, 2009	Cristina Falkenberg	, MN, US
6562	December 02, 2009	Molly Eekhoff	, OR, US
6561	November 17, 2009	Agnes Fallah Kamara-Umunna	, NY, US
6560	November 03, 2009	Francisco Anta Fernández	, ES
6559	November 01, 2009	muneeza ismail	, NY, US
6558	October 29, 2009	Judith Killen	, FL, US
6557	October 28, 2009	Anonymous	, SC, US
6556	October 21, 2009	Gina Thornburg	, CA, US
6555	October 18, 2009	Harriet Parsons	, MI, US
6554	October 18, 2009	Harriet Parsons	, MI, US
6553	October 16, 2009	Jason Cross	, FL, US
6552	October 07, 2009	Holley Crain	, TX, US

Next ->