The Guardian
Letters Monday May 24, 2004

Rape in Iraq

It was neither the Red Cross nor the Amnesty report that propelled the torture of Iraqi prisoners on to the front pages. It was the photos. The torture carried on until the ocular proof made political embarrassment unavoidable.

Yet the photos of rape and other sexual torture of women at Abu Ghraib prison have still not been released to the public (The other prisoners, G2, May 20). Evidence of the widespread rape of women soldiers within the US military has similarly been ignored. Yet US National Public Radio mentioned 10 days ago that 100 US women soldiers claim to have been raped by their colleagues in Iraq. Why is this not pursued and reported here?

We wrote to all women MPs and peers asking them to press for full disclosure of what is happening to women in Iraq at the hands of both US and UK troops. We have not received a single reply.

Cristel Amiss

Black Women's Rape Action Project
Lisa Longstaff
Women Against Rape

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PLEASE CONTACT YOUR MP NOW!
- we can't allow women MPs to ignore this issue.

When even women MPs are silent about the sexual torture of vulnerable women prisoners, no wonder rape survivors in Britain rarely get justice!  They are ready to complain about pornography when women consent to and get paid for sex, but not about actual rape by Coalition forces and their use of it as porn.

If your MP is a woman, you can ask: "Why haven't you responded to the briefing on the rape of women in Iraq sent to you by BWRAP and WAR ?"  What are you ready to do now?

If your MP is a man, you can ask: "Have you seen the BWRAP/WAR letter in the Guardian?  Are you interested in getting their briefing?"

House of Commons Tel 020 7219 3000, if you don't know who your MP is, call this number and they can tell you and put you through to your MP's office.  Some MPs list their email on www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm

Please let us know what response you get!

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Rape of women in Iraq & Afghanistan by US/UK Forces:

NEITHER BLOOD NOR RAPE FOR OIL: To women legislators in the Coalition of the Willing
Translations:   Arabic  
Castellano   Catalan   Croatian  French   Italian   Serbian     
Photos of women being raped by soldiers
Press notice

US Air Force ex-captain Dorothy Mackey says the rape of women within the military is condoned
Article in  'il manifesto' - (Italian)  "Abu Ghraib, marchio indelebile per le donne"

See also statements from the Global Women's Strike and International Women Count Network at www.globalwomenstrike.net
See also Press highlights 2004

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