Petitions: Urge for rape kits to be tested, hold CNN accountable

The 2010 Sexual Assault Evidence Submission Act passed the Illinois state legislature this spring; it would require that every rape kit booked into evidence be sent to a crime laboratory.  However, this bill still hasn't been signed by Governor Pat Quinn, so this is where you come in - especially if you're an Illinois resident (but even if you're not), email the governor and let him know that this horrible track record regarding women's rights needs to be stopped. Learn more and email Governor Quinn here:

http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/blog/80-percent-of-rape-kits-go-untested-in-illinois/

County and state governments are surprisingly willing to let rape kits pile up untested. Sometimes  they were promising to take action and then letting the kits gather dust.  California has been the main focus for the huge numbers of untested rape kits. But now the Human Rights Watch has begun to investigate Illinois and discovered some truly appalling statistics.

In a report titled "I Used To Think The Law Would Protect Me: Illinois' Failure To Test Rape Kits," the HRW describes the results of their comprehensive data analysis of 127 of 267 jurisdictions.  They found that only 1,474 of the 7,494 rape kits booked into evidence since 1995 had been tested - just around 20%.  

 Hold CNN accountable for racially charged and inaccurate stories
Hi everyone,

 

Please read the email below and sign the petition here: http://colorofchange.org/cnnfox/?id=2461-805582

 

( Read more... )

 

Support LiNK in aiding Norh korean refugees

Hi everyone,

Please consider spreading the word about LiNK, donating or joining them. LiNK helps rescue North Korean refugees fleeing torture and trauma. It doesn't depend on government funding or on political parties. It relies on private donations, which makes them independent and enables them in forming impartial recommendations. Thank you so much.

From the website http://linkglobal.org/who-we-are/faq.html :

LiNK is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that is supported solely by private donors. Our work entails aiding and protecting North Korean refugees in the underground, advocating on their behalf and for the North Korean crisis in general, providing assistance upon resettlement in countries that will provide them with asylum, and raising awareness through creative media (such as videos) and mobilizing the grassroots through official LiNK chapters.

Estimates of up to 300,000 refugees have fled to neighboring China and are hiding in the underground. These refugees risk torture and execution if captured and repatriated to North Korea. In violation of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, China repatriates all North Koreans who have illegally crossed the border.

Women and Children: North Korean refugees in China, particularly women and children, face serious exploitation and sex trafficking. Over 80% of North Korean refugees are victims of human trafficking in China. Within North Korea, children are routinely forced into child labor, and are subject to extremely abusive or dangerous situations.