Stop the Rape Trade

[Magda Hassan]

Dear Avaaz community,

A powerful new treaty is our best weapon against the global rape trade in women and girls. If Russia signs it, it will put a major dent in this horror - we urgently need 1 million voices to appeal to Russian PM Putin to sign the treaty and help protect girls like Oxana (above):

This powerful appeal just came to us from one of our members:

"My daughter Oxana was a beautiful, wonderful girl, gifted in languages. She left our home when she was 20 to take her dream job as a translator in Europe. We were so happy for her. Three weeks later the police told us she died falling from a 5th story window, trying to escape men who fooled her with the job and forced her into a sex club. I died when she died. Now I live only to stop this from happening to other girls. Please, help me."

Oxana was killed by a brutal and growing global industry - the rape trade. A major part of this trade is girls taken in Russia and sent to Europe and the US where they face an awful future of routine rape and brutality.

We can stop this horror. A powerful new convention requires strong laws to stop the rape trade -- and Oxana's father Nikolai is appealing to Russian Prime Minister Putin to sign it. Putin cultivates a macho-man image -- we can persuade him by making this a chance for him to be seen as the protector of Russian women. Our goal is 1 million voices added to Nikolai's in the next few days to persuade Putin to act. Click below to sign, forward this email widely, and let's fight one family's horror with 1 million reasons for hope:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/russia_rape_trade_putin/?vl

The Council of Europe Convention Against Trafficking in Human Beings sets the highest standards for law enforcement to tackle the criminals who run the rape trade. If Russia signed it, it would almost certainly save thousands of girls every year.

This would put a real dent in the global rape trade - in which Russia is a key nexus. Up to 50,000 Russian women and girls are forced into the sex industry each year in Europe, and Russia also is a major route for girls trafficked from Asia into Europe. If Putin becomes personally invested in this issue, he could cause a crackdown by Russian authorities, and this would send a powerful signal to organized criminals everywhere. For the sake of Oxana, her father, and millions like her, let's send that signal:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/russia_rape_trade_putin/?vl

While many of our world's problems stem from powerful interests like global organized crime, they often persist only because the rest of the world turns a blind eye. If we all take action, we can persuade Putin and Russia to join us, and together, we can write the last chapter in Oxana and her father's tragic story, a chapter of hope.

With gratitude for all that this amazing community makes possible,

Ricken, Alice, Emma, Ben, Maria Paz, Philippe and the rest of the Avaaz team.

SOURCES:

Russia's sex slave industry thrives, rights groups say (CNN):
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/...stitution/

Russian father wins sex trafficking case (The Moscow News):
http://www.mn.ru/news/20100201/55407511.html

Russia Cuts Support For Trafficking Victims (Sky News):
http://www.avaaz.org/russia_sky_news


Support the Avaaz community! We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way -- donate here.