Help Protect Women's Freedom in Iraq

By sending the following sample letter to Congress, you'll be doing your part to protect and provide assistance to the women in Iraq. Your support is necessary to keep this lifesaving initiative going strong.

Sample Letter to Congress

Dear [Congressperson's Name]:

Since the U.S.-led coalition took control of Iraq a year ago, liberating its citizens from the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi women have been forced to live with a new horror: bands of kidnappers who brazenly abduct women right off the streets, abusing them, brutally raping them, even selling them into sexual slavery. This has already happened to hundreds of innocent women. And the threat is so real that thousands more have become recluses, terrified to leave their homes for fear that if they do, they will never see it or their families again.

Coalition forces have done little to improve or even acknowledge this appalling situation, and occupation administrator L. Paul Bremer has so far ignored pleas from the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq, one of the only activist organizations that has dared to speak openly about the problem. The safety of Iraqi women must be made a priority in the rebuilding of the country's government. I urge you to ensure that the coalition addresses this problem, so the women of Iraq can enjoy their country's newfound freedom as much as the men. Thank you.

Respectfully,

[Your name]

Marie Claire reader

You can then mail this letter via standard mail to your congressperson in the U.S. House of Representatives to let him/her know you support this legislation.

To find out the name and address of your representative in Congress, please search the Write Your Representative Website.