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From March 4th-9th in Juarez, Mexico, there will be a large group of people meeting to stand in solidarity with the Women of Juarez. As you probably know, hundreds of women have been murdered, raped, or “disappeared” there in recent years. Their cases are largely ignored by the police and local officials. Rather than try to find a solution to the crime wave, they often blame the young women for “dressing provocatively” or for “staying out too late,” even though in most cases they are simply trying to walk home from their full-time jobs in American-owned factories to horrible living conditions on the outskirts of the city, where there isn’t running water or electricity. If you are interested in joining the delegation, please visit http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/Juarez_march04_delegation.html , but for those of us who can’t afford the trip, there is something your local Amnesty chapter, Portland Group 48, is planning on doing. On Tuesday March 9th, the day after International Women’s Human Rights Day, at 7:30 P.M., we will be hosting a candlelight vigil (location TBA). It is our hope to make a coalition with other human rights groups in this cause to draw attention to this most important of issues. The student group at the University of Oregon and other Amnesty groups in the state will also be hosting events at the same time in their cities, so this will truly be a statewide Amnesty event. Their will be a press release, and hopefully we will be able to inform thousands of people in the area about what exactly the Women of Juarez are going through. If you’d like to participate, or know of a group who would like to help in the cause, either come to our next meeting or contact group member Eric Bailey at ebailey1981@yahoo.com or his cell at 503-720-5116. |
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