 |
|
Threats to Women Ignored in Dem-Rep Debate. |
|
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES October 4, 2004 Contacts: Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Pat LaMarche will stay at a Cleveland women's shelter Monday night, October 4 and will take part in a.third-party V.P. candidates debate on October 5. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party candidates and leaders intensified their call to make the safety and rights of women a national priority. Greens cited the epidemic of family violence in the U.S., as well as the regression of women's rights in Iraq and Afghanistan after the U.S. invaded these countries. "The family should be a place for support and safety, but for many women and children it's a place of danger," said Morgen D'Arc, co-chair of the Green Party's National Women's Caucus. "In some areas, murder is the leading cause of death for pregnant women. Nearly 25% of U.S. women report having been raped or assaulted by an intimate partner at some time in their lives. Most children under the age of five who are victims of homicide are killed by a parent." "Unfortunately, these statistics are not likely to be discussed in the Cheney-Edwards debate tomorrow," added Ms. D'Arc, who noted that Pat LaMarche has been excluded from participating in this debate despite being on the ballot in at least 28 states. Ms. LaMarche will participate in a separate debate with three other vice presidential candidates on Tuesday, October 5, in the John Patrick Theatre at Baldwin Wallace College in Cleveland, Ohio, beginning at 7:00 p.m. On the eve of the debate, Ms. LaMarche will spend the night in Cleveland at a shelter for victims of domestic violence to call attention to violence against women. "We need to reverse the mentality that only violence can resolve conflicts," said Theresa Savage, Green Independent Party candidate for the Maine House, District 78. "This mentality is pervasive in the U.S., evident in the Bush Administration's foreign policy and in the murder of over 15,000 people in the U.S. each year. The U.S. has the highest rate of criminal violence in any Western democracy. Conflict resolution and reconciliation techniques are proven antidotes. We must stop the cycle of violence from being reenacted in succeeding generations -- among nations and within families." Since the U.S invasion of Iraq, over 12,000 civilians and 1,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed. Civilians and workers are increasingly being targeted by various violent factions in an attempt to further destabilize the country. "Vice President Cheney is likely to use the upcoming elections in Afghanistan and Iraq during the debate as proof that the lives of women have improved after the U.S. invaded them. This is a lie," said Starlene Rankin, Lavender Green Caucus delegate to the national party. "Afghan women are reporting threats and intimidation by U.S.-backed regional warlords as they attempt to vote and run for office. Women in Iraq are beginning to face similar threats as the situation there deteriorates. The people we elect must show us a different way to a nonviolent, constructive response that promotes peace and security." MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States search: elct, spol, rgt |