Statements
Corporate Power Causes Collapse of US Financial System
WILPF
New US WILPF Statement on the War in Iraq and Iran
TO ALL CONGRESS PEOPLE
re: WAR in IRAQ and IRAN
We condemn and oppose the United States war and occupation of Iraq, which has caused the death of over 4,000 U.S. military personnel and over 1 million Iraqis. Untold numbers of combat troops have been physically and psychologically damaged. In addition there are over 5 million Iraqi refugees, which place a strain on the economies of the receiving countries. An estimated 1 million war widows work to eke out a living for their families.
Statement to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, February 7, 2008.
Statement to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding U.S. Compliance with CRC OPAC
Feb. 7, 2008
OHCHR, Geneva
Statement made by Tzili Mor to the CRC on behalf of WILPF
Click here to view this statement as a pdf document.
Update: 2008-02-22
Thank you for this opportunity to give voice to the experiences and concerns of members of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in the U.S. and their allies in 30 US-based national and local grass roots organizations who are similarly engaged in peace education and advocacy on behalf of the human rights of children.
In its report to this committee, the U.S. Government fails to define what constitutes "recruitment", and even suggests that recruitment is limited to the act of a person signing the enlistment contract. The report ignores the concerted, targeted actions taken by military recruiters, including unchecked aggressive advertising, extravagant gift giving, and false promises of benefits and harassment of pre teens and teenagers that had to take place in order to achieve this result. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Defense spent 1.5 billion dollars on military recruitment, with half of this sum used for advertising alone. Military recruitment is a process that starts long before the contract is actually signed.
The terror and profiteering in Burma must end – the time for decisive action is now!
WILPF Statement on the situation in Burma
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom sends greetings, solidarity and support to citizens of Burma, who courageously and non-violently stand up for peace and freedom in their country.
A reign of terror has prevailed in Burma since 1962, the population being brutally repressed by a military dictatorship; women have suffered in terrible and specific ways.
The international community has tolerated this military junta far too long. Its silence has protected a culpable economic exploitation by actors who must be made to cease their profiteering and deal-making with the regime, currently headed by General Than Shwe. The current culture of impunity must come to an end, and those who have committed grave violations of international humanitarian law must be justly prosecuted.
WILPF REJECTS NEW SPYING AND WIRETAPPING LAW
September 17, 2007 Constitution Day
President Bush signed the latest version on August 5.WILPF strongly opposes this further intrusion on our democratic rights to privacy and urges our members, legislators and concerned citizens to work against its implementation and a further erosion of people's rights that will move us closer to dictatorship and away from democratic process.
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Statement on Immigration
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF-US) recognizes that the United States is a nation of immigrants from around the world whose many contributions have enriched our lives and communities from the nation's beginning.
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| WILPF members march for immigrants workers' rights in April 2006 |
WILPF's first president, Jane Addams, founded and directed Hull House in Chicago for newly arrived immigrants "to provide a center for a higher civic and social life." An immigrant's successful integration will always depend on the wisdom and receptivity of policy-makers and the willingness of communities to promote diversity and assist the transition of newcomers. Such efforts should be guided by a commitment to equal protection, along with equal access to healthcare, employment, education and legal assistance for all residents.
WILPF Statement on North Korea Nuclear Test
"US women demand US restore aid to the Palestinian Authority"
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Contact: Kate Zaidan, Program Coordinator, WILPF, 215-563-7110, kzaidan@wilpf.org
An International NGO focused on peace and human rights, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom [WILPF], has launched a grassroots campaign to pressure the Bush Administration to end the policy of restricting aid to the Palestinian people and the democratically elected government of Palestine, Hamas. The organization demands that the US government immediately restore aid to the Palestinian Authority, and intends to mobilize women across the US to end this arbitrary and unfair policy that has exacerbated the already dire situation of the Palestinian people.
WILPF calls for peaceful resolution of the Iran "crisis."
(Statement issued June 6, 2006)
The U.S. Section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom is dismayed that the Administration is again threatening military attack, this time on Iran. Such an attack would be illegal, unjustified, counter-productive and inhumane. Bombing of Iranian nuclear research and power sites, even with conventional weapons, would be disastrous. It would violate Protocol I of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits such bombings because they can release lethal radiation into the environment.
Resolution to Endorse H.R. 676
Adopted by WILPF U.S. Section
April 2006
FOR A HEALTHIER AMERICA, we pledge to help build the movement for a single payer universal health care system that will serve every person in the United States. WILPF has always stood for economic justice and women’s equality as prerequisite to sustainable peace. In its principles and policies (1987), WILPF U.S. has clearly stated its support for “a comprehensive national health care and maintenance program for everyone” a position grounded in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”
April 2006 Statement
The United States Section of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (US WILPF) deplores the US government's continued use of military force to secure access to resources and to maintain control over other nations. The illegal wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and US military and economic support for Israel's occupation of Palestine have destabilized the region, caused extensive human suffering, and destroyed the infrastructure of the occupied territories.
Past Time to Change Course in Iraq
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section, has opposed the US led war on Iraq since before 2003, a war that has taken a heavy toll of Iraqi and US lives. Additionally, the sovereign nation of Iraq has been occupied by US military forces and Iraq's infrastructure, politically and physically, has been destroyed. The entire Middle East region has been destabilized by this illegal war.
It is now clear that Congress colluded in this Constitutional hijacking by allowing its authority to declare war to be usurped by the Executive. With revelations and developments of recent months, Congress bears a great responsibility to bring this war to an end!
WILPF Calls for a Reality-Based Administration to Act for Peace and Security
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom rejects the world vision presented last night by President George W. Bush. “The US cannot survive as a fortress state defending itself by torture abroad and surveillance at home” said WILPF Executive Director, Mary Day Kent. While many members of the House and Senate applauded the version of the world and nation outlined by the president, WILPF will continue to mobilize its US and international membership to live by the principles of global community.
President Bush wraps the patriotic banner around his disastrous Iraq policy, but 2005 saw the most violent months and the highest military death toll since the March, 2003 invasion. Additional hundreds of deaths at home in hurricane Katrina are “collateral damage” due to careless rescue efforts, inadequate warnings, and a shortage of resources and personnel that were sunk into the failing occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Although security is brandished as our national priority and enormous funds are spent for Homeland Security, our futures are mortgaged by huge tax cuts for the rich, deficits, and careless incompetence.
Death, Destruction and “Democracy
February 5th, 2005
As the second term of President Bush’s neoconservative administration begins Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) rejects its claim to an electoral mandate. The majority of the people of the United States do not support the war on Iraq. They do not support the Bush administration’s disdain for human rights and international law. Bush foreign policies, masked by a stated intention to bring democracy to other countries, have led to unconscionable death and destruction. They foster greater hostility toward the United States throughout the world. Deaths of United States soldiers in Iraq now exceed 1400 and 9 times that have been injured. Involuntary extension of tours of duty for more troops has been announced. Though Iraqi deaths are not officially counted, an October report estimates that 100,000 or more Iraqis have died directly or indirectly as a result of the United States invasion and occupation of their country. Women are assaulted with impunity as they struggle to provide for basic family needs amid near total material destruction and social collapse in Iraq. Bush appointees sanction torture, and imprisonment and secret investigations without court review. U.S. corporations profit outrageously from the tragedy of the Iraqi people while U.S. soldiers are placed in harm’s way to carry out the administration’s neoconservative agenda.
WILPF calls upon the majority of our country, all who are opposed to the war on Iraq, to demand an end to the war and United States occupation of Iraq now. To promote this end, and to work for justice in a self-governing Iraq, we urge that our government, by executive action or Congressional mandate:
Prohibit further involuntary extended duty of US soldiers in Iraq, a form of draft;
WILPF Response to Hurricane Katrina
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom/US Section offers our sincerest condolences to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. In particular, WILPF extends its support to the women, poor women and women of color, as the brunt of disaster has and will ultimately fall on the shoulders of the most oppressed. Your struggles will remain in our hearts and minds.
We demand that immediate aid and assistance be made available to those affected by this tragedy, and that long term solutions be sought out to dismantle the unjust, oppressive economic and political systems that led to much of this devastation. Katrina was a disaster created and maintained by a gross imbalance of power, one that teeters on the fault lines of race, class and gender. WILPF’s vision is a world where equality and justice, lived within a framework of ecological wisdom, shape the framework of our national life. Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath make it clear that our reality is something entirely different. WILPF see this tragedy through the lens of root causes: racism, militarism, and environmental degradation.
