Tell Congress: No Killer Cuts for 2012
by Women Thrive Wo... | July 27, 2011 at 9:51 AM
Tell Congress: Some cuts kill, others do not. With global food prices at all-time highs, there are more hungry people worldwide than ever before: 925 million. And because women and girls face unique barriers to accessing critical resources like income, land, and education, they account for 6 in 10 of the hungry.
We've made great strides in recent years to put women and girls at the center of international assistance, but Congress is poised to take us a step backwards. During intense federal budget debates for 2012, vital programs to protect women and girls living in poverty have been put on the chopping block. Doing this now, when they're needed more than ever, is just plain wrong.
If poverty-focused international assistance programs are slashed, the world’s poorest citizens will pay the price. In fact, proposed cuts would also hit programs that protect women and girls from rape, sexual exploitation and abuse. Rates of sexual violence reach up to 70% in some countries. If our Representatives on Capitol Hill knew what challenges women around the world face everyday, they might not be so quick to cut these life-saving programs.
Slashing these programs would do nothing to fix the deficit—international assistance funding accounts for less than 1% of the federal budget—but they would jeopardize the livelihoods of millions of people already struggling to survive. We all want to see a balanced budget, but the reality is: some cuts kill, and others do not.
We need your help! Sign a petition to your representatives in Congress telling them that you are opposed to these devastating budget cuts.
