Sunday May 3, 2009, 7:03 pm
Take Action to Prevent Child Marriage

60 million girls around the world are married before the age of 17 — many to men twice their age or older. They need our help.
Take Action to Prevent Child Marriage

The cost of child marriage is too high to be ignored. When a girl is forced to marry at a young age, it diminishes her chance at an education, endangers her health and has long lasting and dire consequences not only for her, but for her family and community as well.

Young brides are:

* More likely to become young mothers. Girls under the age of 15 are five times more likely to die of childbirth than a woman in her 20s.
* More likely to drop out of school and have limited economic opportunities, which keeps them and their families locked in the cycle of poverty.
* Twice as likely to suffer domestic violence and are more vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV.

The United States can use its leadership to prevent child marriage. Please ask your representatives to co-sponsor the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009.

Send your letter below.

Dear Representative,

Not every marriage lasts forever, but for the 60 million girls married before the age of 17, marriage has lifelong consequences. Forcing a child into marriage diminishes her chances at education, endangers her health and cuts short her personal growth and development. Maternal health risks are particularly troubling as the risk of death in pregnancy and delivery for girls under the age of 15 is five times higher than for women in their 20s.

The United States can use its leadership to prevent child marriage. As your constituent, I'm asking you to help by co-sponsoring the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 and supporting the act when it comes to a vote. This important legislation:

1. Recognizes child marriage as a human rights violation.
2. Develops of a comprehensive strategy to prevent child marriage and empower young girls.
3. Integrates child marriage prevention approaches throughout U.S. foreign assistance programs.
4. Scales up proven approaches and programs to end child marriage.

The costs of child marriages are too high to be ignored. Societies cannot progress when the common practice of marriage relegates girls and women to a life of poverty. Please co-sponsor the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 to bring an end to this practice.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Sunday May 3, 2009, 7:05 pm
Thank you for supporting us on this issue.

Your message has been sent to the following decision makers:

Senator Kay Ruthven Hagan
Senator Richard M. Burr
Representative Heath Shuler

Sunday May 3, 2009, 7:12 pm
Noted and letter sent. Thank you Tom.

Monday May 4, 2009, 8:43 am
Signed and noted. Thanks tom

Monday May 4, 2009, 1:03 pm
Tom, thank you so much for sharing this with us so we may do our part..bless you..noted and letter sent..

Monday May 4, 2009, 1:10 pm
noted,signed,sent,thank You Tom!!

Monday May 4, 2009, 1:14 pm
Signed Tom, thanks.
I don't really feel this will do any good when our own country is hell bent on keeping education down, and supporting psychiatry based abstinence only programmes.
There are no less than 20 bills in Congress right now waiting to take away parents rights.

Monday May 4, 2009, 1:39 pm
Signed, sent to Saxby Chambless, Johnny Isakson, Jim Marshall, thanks Tom

Monday May 4, 2009, 1:40 pm
Signed and sent with compassion. Tx Tom

Monday May 4, 2009, 1:56 pm
Signed.

Monday May 4, 2009, 2:24 pm
signed

Monday May 4, 2009, 2:30 pm
Noted and signed with thanks Tom!

Monday May 4, 2009, 2:36 pm
Thanks Tom, signed but disgusted that such things still happen.

Monday May 4, 2009, 2:44 pm
noted & signed

Monday May 4, 2009, 5:24 pm
NOTED LETTER SENT

Monday May 4, 2009, 6:34 pm
while I see the Reality of the Suffering Brought on By Child brides the Kneejerk Overreactions Like The Proposed Law in Saudi Arabia banning Marriage under 18 Could increase the Number of Honour Killings of Pregnant Girls or Just Girls caught With Boyfriends that they could have Married and Thus Been Safe From Thier "Pridefull/Bigoted OverZealous Murdering Families....

Tuesday May 5, 2009, 3:04 am
Thanks for info. One can not imagine why these insane decisions are still occuring in a modern world.

Tuesday May 5, 2009, 9:23 pm
Signed Sealed and Delivered ... Here are addtional actions to take @ Care.org advocacy >

Support Global Food Security Action
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Support President Obama's call for Congress to double U.S. support for food security programs.

The Human Face of Climate Change
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The Human Face of Climate Change

Take Action to Prevent Child Marriage
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Take Action to Prevent Child Marriage

Take Action to Prevent Child Marriage
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Take Action to Prevent Child Marriage

Take Action to Prevent Child Marriage
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Women Are Key to Fighting Poverty
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Tell your legislator: Women are key to fighting poverty!

Tuesday May 5, 2009, 9:23 pm
sorry this did not turn out as expected !

Wednesday May 6, 2009, 8:53 am
For some reason this petition is only for those in the US. Considering that the problem is Internation, I can't see the reason behind this. Sadly I could not sign

Wednesday May 6, 2009, 12:43 pm
I think all forced arranged marriages should also be banned. Girls should not be killed because they refuse to marry someone, are "caught" with their boyfriends or become pregnant.

Honour killings should also be banned, otherwise even married women aren't safe from husbands who just want to get rid of them. Honour killings are often used to protect rapists or to punish girls who refuse to accept arranged marriages.

It is the parents' responsibility to protect their children, especially when they are under 18, not to sell them into a life of servitude, physical abuse and sexual slavery as so often happens with arranged marriages to rich old men.

In India, woman trapped in such marriages have been killing themselves by immolating themselves with kerosene to escape their abusers. A big part of the problem is the widespread poverty that allows rich old pedophiles to buy child slaves for a few hundred dollars in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Wednesday May 6, 2009, 12:57 pm
Liz, I think this petition is only for those in the US because the target is the US government. As the petition says,

"The United States can use its leadership to prevent child marriage. As your constituent, I'm asking you to help by co-sponsoring the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 and supporting the act when it comes to a vote."

There is also the language barrier. There are many petitions written in languages other than English that we never see because our search engines like Google are set to return only those results that are in English. For example, go to Google's advanced search page, set the language for French and the search for "petition" and you will get "about 862,000 French pages for petition."

Saturday May 30, 2009, 5:11 am
causes like that one always giving me goose skin.....is terrible to even imagine that things like that can happened......kids should be kids as long they can before enter ugly world of adults!!!!