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CFAM World Cup Web Site Content
http://www.c-fam.org/wc-findmore.htm

Get involved! Sign your Petition to the German government and governing body of the World Cup games today. Learn more about the massive crime against women about to unfold in Germany.

In addition to spearheading this global petition drive and grass roots mobilization, C-FAM is working with its friendly contacts within the German government to press the case against the massive, state-sponsored abuse of women during the World Cup games.

C-FAM Joins Other Groups in Opposing Exploitation of Women at World Cup Games in Germany.

Visit this site often to see updates on the progress of our Petition drive!

Visit web pages below so see the true, shocking extent of the problem of forced prostitution in Europe and worldwide.

The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women CATW) is a non-governmental organization that promotes women's human rights by working internationally to combat sexual exploitation in all its forms. Founded in 1988, CATW was the first international non-governmental organization to focus on human trafficking, especially sex trafficking of women and girls.

"Increased trafficking of women for prostitution is akin to slavery... women are bought and sold like cattle." (Anita Gradin, European Commissioner, European Race Audit Bulletin No 25, The Institute of Race Relations, London UK, 25 November 1997)

Approximately 500,000 women are annually trafficked into Western Europe. (International Organization for Migration, Michael Specter, "Traffickers' New Cargo: Naive Slavic Women, New York Times, 11 January 1998)

The slave trade in women for sexual purposes is growing, and organized crime is more often behind this trade. Smuggling in humans is much less risky than smuggling drugs and it is highly profitable. (Commissioner Anita Gradin, "Conference on Trafficking in Women" European Commission, 10-11 June 1996)

Visit the CATW website at http://www.catwinternational.org/ to learn more about the threat to women posed by the promotion of prostitution at the World Cup games.

The United States Department has issued its fifth annual Trafficking in Persons Report, along with the $82 million in anti-trafficking assistance our nation provided to foreign governments and non-government organizations last year, demonstrates our strong commitment to this cause. See the Report here: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2005/

The TIP Report serves to expose these despicable aspects of trafficking. It provokes, lauds, and challenges. Countries including the United States, which is dealing with its own trafficking problem, have been inspired to greater action against human trafficking as a result of this unique compendium. By reading it, we hope you are joining with us in the abolitionist movement of the 21st century to advance freedom for the world's most vulnerable citizens." - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Prostitution was legalised in Germany just over two years ago and brothel owners - who must pay tax and employee health insurance - were granted access to official databases of jobseekers.

'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/30/wgerm30.xml

The group Human Rights Watch published this report about forced prostitution in the Balkans http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/06/14/bosher8815.htm

Amnesty International published this report on forced prostitution of children in Europe. http://web.amnesty.org/aidoc/aidoc_pdf.nsf/Index/EUR700102004ENGLISH/$File/EUR7001004.pdf

Help us make sure that the President’s proposed cuts don’t become reality! Make a contribution to the Women’s Edge Coalition today to support our strong advocacy on behalf of poor women around the world. Your contribution will help stop proposed cuts to life-saving programs for women and girls.

At this critical time, the Women’s Edge Coalition is moving quickly with key Members of Congress to ensure that Congress does not accept the President’s deep cuts to international assistance programs that help poor women around the world. If Congress adopts President Bush’s budget as it stands for 2007, international programs crucial to poor women around the world will be seriously harmed. For women in the developing world, decent levels of U.S. funding for international programs are critical because on-the-ground programs targeting women tend to be the first to get cut when assistance dollars run short.

You can also help by taking action. Please email your U.S. Senators today, urging them to support full funding for vital international assistance programs.

We need you now! Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Ritu Sharma
Co-Founder and President

P.S. For a detailed analysis of the President’s 2007 budget requests and its potential impact on women around the world, go to our website.

Public Comment Period Closes
December 12, 2005
http://www.organicconsumers.org/epa6.cfm

Public comments are now being accepted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its newly proposed federal regulation regarding the testing of chemicals and pesticides on human subjects. On August 2, 2005, Congress had mandated the EPA create a rule that permanently bans chemical testing on pregnant women and children. But the EPA's newly proposed rule, misleadingly titled "Protections for Subjects in Human Research," puts industry profits ahead of children's welfare. The rule allows for government and industry scientists to treat children as human guinea pigs in chemical experiments in the following situations:

1. Children who "cannot be reasonably consulted," such as those that are mentally handicapped or orphaned newborns may be tested on. With permission from the institution or guardian in charge of the individual, the child may be exposed to chemicals for the sake of research.
2. Parental consent forms are not necessary for testing on children who have been neglected or abused.
3. Chemical studies on any children outside of the U.S. are acceptable.

Send a letter to EPA : http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1532

OCA's focal concerns with this proposed rule specifically involve the following portions of text within the EPA document (Read the full EPA proposed rule here: PDF --- HTML):

70 FR 53865 26.408(a) "The IRB (Independent Review Board) shall determine that adequate provisions are made for soliciting the assent of the children, when in the judgment of the IRB the children are capable of providing assent...If the IRB determines that the capability of some or all of the children is so limited that they cannot reasonably be consulted, the assent of the children is not a necessary condition for proceeding with the research. Even where the IRB determines that the subjects are capable of assenting, the IRB may still waive the assent requirement..."

(OCA NOTE: Under this clause, a mentally handicapped child or infant orphan could be tested on without assent. This violates the Nuremberg Code, an international treaty that mandates assent of test subjects is "absolutely essential," and that the test subject must have "legal capacity to give consent" and must be "so situated as to exercise free power of choice." This loophole in the rule must be completely removed.)

70 FR 53865 26.408(c) "If the IRB determines that a research protocol is designed for conditions or for a subject population for which parental or guardian permission is not a reasonable requirement to protect the subjects (for example, neglected or abused children), it may waive the consent requirements..."

(OCA NOTE: Under the general rule, the EPA is saying it's okay to test chemicals on children if their parents or institutional guardians consent to it. This clause says that neglected or abused children have unfit guardians, so no consent would be required to test on those children. This loophole in the rule must be completely removed.)

70 FR 53864 26.401 (a)(2) "To What Do These Regulations Apply? It also includes research conducted or supported by EPA outside the United States, but in appropriate circumstances, the Administrator may, under § 26.101(e), waive the applicability of some or all of the requirements of these regulations for research..."

(OCA NOTE: This clause is stating that the Administrator of the EPA has the power to completely waive regulations on human testing, if the testing is done outside of the U.S. This will allow chemical companies to do human testing in other countries where these types of laws are less strict. This loophole in the rule must be completely removed.)

70 FR 53857 "EPA proposes an extraordinary procedure applicable if scientifically sound but ethically deficient human research is found to be crucial to EPA’s fulfilling its mission to protect public health. This procedure would also apply if a scientifically sound study covered by proposed § 26.221 or § 26.421--i.e., an intentional dosing study involving pregnant women or children as subjects..."

(OCA NOTE: This clause allows the EPA to accept or conduct "ethically deficient" studies of chemical tests on humans if the agency deems it necessary to fulfull its mission. Unfortunately, the EPA report sets up no criteria for making such an exception with any particular study. This ambiguity leaves a gaping loophole in the rule. Without specific and detailed criteria, it could be argued that any and every study of chemical testing on humans is "necessary." This loophole in the rule must be removed, based on this inadequacy of criteria and definition.)