Fourteen internationally-renowned stateswomen signed an open letter in December 2006 urging the international community to take action in Darfur (Sudan) to prevent further violence against women. The text of the letter is given below:

“The situation in Darfur constitutes one of the most serious attacks on women’s rights anywhere in the world.

Rape and sexual violence are being used on a daily basis as weapons of war in this deadly conflict, with incidents of assault still increasing. Women and young girls live in constant fear of attack, where even searching for firewood can be a perilous task.

The Government of Sudan has so far proved unwilling or unable to protect its own civilians and has even armed and supported the Janjawid militia responsible for many of these attacks. While the African Union peacekeepers have tried to address this situation, their efforts have not been enough to provide sufficient protection. The international community must now deliver on its responsibility to protect these civilians.

Only the immediate deployment of a robust and effective international peacekeeping force can now keep the Darfuri women and children safe. Pressure must be stepped up and maintained until the Government of Sudan accepts such a force.

Every day Darfuri women wait for effective protection is another day that more of them suffer one of the most appalling crimes against humanity”.

Signed:

Madeleine Albright – Former US Secretary of State

Hanan Ashrawi – Founder and Secretary General of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy

Carol Bellamy – Former Executive Head of UNICEF and President of World Learning and SIT

Edith Cresson – Former Prime Minister of France

Professor Dr. Herta Däubler-Gmelin – Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the German Parliament and Former German Minister of Justice

Yakin Erturk – UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Nicole Fontaine – Former President of the European Parliament and Member of the European Parliament

Glenys Kinnock – Member of the European Parliament

Graca Machel – Children’s rights campaigner and wife of Nelson Mandela

Professor Fatima Babiker Mahmoud – Sudanese Academic and Writer

Agnes Nyoka Peter – Sudanese Member of National Assembly in Khartoum

Sigrid Rausing – Philanthropist

Mary Robinson – Former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Wendy R. Sherman – Former Counselor of the U.S. Department of State

The stateswomen letter can be found at http://www.globefordarfur.org/stateswomen_letter.html

For more information on actions you can take, go to
Globe for Darfur (http://www.globefordarfur.org)
Save Darfur (http://www.savedarfur.org/content)