Sample Letter to Congress

I am writing to urge you to become a cosponsor of the (House Concurrent Resolution 90/Senate Concurrent Resolution 16) addressing the murders of hundreds of young women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico that have occurred since 1993. Representative Hilda Solis and Senator Jeff Bingaman introduced the resolution concurrently in the House and Senate. Both resolutions were introduced with strong bipartisan support.

Amnesty International reports that nearly 400 young women have been murdered in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua since 1993. Of these, 137 experienced some form of sexual violence before being killed. In nearly all of these cases investigations were either mishandled or not carried out. A Mexican Federal Special Prosecutor has reviewed almost half of these cases, and she has found negligence or incompetence by state authorities in more than 150 cases. So far, no state authority has been held accountable for their negligence and lack of due diligence, although an arrest warrant has been issued for the former Chihuahua State Attorney General.

Compounding the tragedy is the fact that several persons detained and accused of the murders have claimed they were tortured and/or forced to confess. In one such case a woman from Minnesota and her Mexican husband were detained and allegedly tortured into confessing to the murder of a young woman in Chihuahua city. After extensive reviews of the case a judge decided to release the couple for lack of credible evidence. Unfortunately, the State Attorney General of Chihuahua continues to appeal this decision and has not dropped the charges against them.

The murder of young women in Juarez and Chihuahua are important to the people of the United States because violence against women is unacceptable anywhere. These cases often have a direct impact in the U.S. because extended families reside on both sides of the border. Violence can affect U.S. tourists and business travelers visiting Juarez and Chihuahua.

I urge you to contact Rep. Solis's (or Sen. Bingaman's) office to co-sponsor this important resolution. Ongoing international attention to this tragedy will assist in the struggle for justice led by the victim's families, and will send a strong message that violence against women is unacceptable, wherever it occurs.

Sincerely,

Note: Text of letter provided by Amnesty International