Join the Special Envoy Now: Virtual March on Washington Today!

Together with our partners at A Thousand Sisters, we’re hosting a Virtual March on Washington May 16-20 demanding the appointment of a Special Envoy. We hope that you join us! Here’s how:

Take a few minutes now to prepare for our Virtual March:

1. Print this sign (or make your own) asking President Obama for a Special Envoy NOW!
2. Take 5 photos of yourself holding the sign.
3. Upload those files to your computer, so that they’re easily accessible and ready to be posted to Facebook (gold star to anyone who has already done this!).

Join the Virtual March today in two easy steps!

1. Upload one of your photos to our Special Envoy Now: Virtual March on Washington Facebook page. (Need help? Check out our handy-dandy guide on how to post your photos, attached.)
2. Post the photo to your own Facebook status as well with a comment such as “I’ve joined the Virtual March on Washington to tell President Obama: Appoint a Great Lakes Special Envoy NOW! Join me!” http://on.fb.me/kdCYfK

For daily reminders, email Naama Haviv at Naama@jewishworldwatch.org to let us know you’d like to participate.

Extra credit – Call the White House at 202-456-1111 (M-F,9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST) and tell President Obama, “My name is ______ and I’m calling from ____. I urge President Obama to appoint a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa NOW!”

More information:

Many of us at JWW have met with survivors of rape and sexual violence in Congo. We knew that the figures from the UN – that 200,000 women had reported rape – were likely only a fraction of actual cases. But I don’t think any of us were prepared for the figures published this week in the American Journal of Public Health.

The numbers are staggering. Using nationally representative data on sexual violence in Congo, researchers found that 1,100 women in Congo are raped every day. Let’s try to imagine such an astounding figure – 48 women an hour. Four women every five minutes. And even these figures remain underestimation, not taking into account women older than 49, girls younger than 15, or male victims. Read the op-ed by JWW and A Thousand Sisters.

The culture of violence and impunity surrounding the conflict in Congo has spilled over to all segments of society.  What we need now is a comprehensive strategy to address the complex crisis in Congo – the crisis that has for too long been put on the back burner and has led to the brutalization of millions of women. There is no one person in the US government with the authority and political clout to put together such a plan. So our demand now is simple and clear: We need a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region!

Jewish World Watch, along with a coalition of 77 NGOs, has sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanding the appointment of a Special Envoy as step one along the path to a peaceful Congo. Now it’s your turn!

Together  we can send a message to the White House that the time to keep their promise on Congo is now!