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 Action Alert - Compassion for All: Urge your elected representatives to support an Afghan Victims Fund.
(March 7, 2002)
Call and Fax your Elected Representatives!
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121
Call and Fax President Bush
Switchboard: (202) 456-1414
Fax: (202) 456-2461 Over 25 members of Congress have expressed their sympathy and support for the idea of a compensation fund when Peaceful Tomorrows members met with them in late January. Now they need to hear from you!
*Let’s also give Congresswoman Carrie Meek (D-FL) a little positive reinforcement for agreeing to sponsor legislation to create a compensation fund. Please call her office at (202) 225-4506 and thank her for her support.
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Background: March 7 marks five months since beginning of US military action in Afghanistan. Yet there is no official acknowledgment that innocent Afghan civilians have been killed or maimed in this “precision bombing” campaign. While the number of civilian casualties is unclear, estimates range from 1,000 to 4,000 people.
The innocent victims in Afghanistan who lost their lives during the U.S. air strikes deserve compassion and support similar to that which was rightfully shown to the U.S. victims of September 11. Out of our concern for our Afghan "sister families," four Peaceful Tomorrows members traveled to Afghanistan in January with Global Exchange visiting dozens of grieving and devastated Afghan families. We returned determined to help the Afghan victims.
Many of the families of those who died in the bombing raids are living in dire economic straits. People whose homes were leveled sleep in makeshift tents made of scraps of material. Orphaned children are crowded in with overburdened relatives. New widows, desperate to feed their children, are reduced to begging. The hospitals are overcrowded, understaffed and have few medicines. People with serious mental anguish go untreated, as there are only eight psychiatrists in a country of over 20 million.
We are calling on the US government to conduct a detailed study of civilian casualties and then create a fund to compensate the families. Afghan relief organizations suggest an average grant of $10,000 to rebuild homes, restock possessions, secure adequate medical and psychological care, or compensate for the loss of breadwinners and caretakers. Assuming 2,000 families seek compensation, this would amount to a meager $20 million. Twenty million is less than one day’s military expense during the bombing campaign, which cost $30 million a day.
While we pressure the US government to do a study and create a fund, we are starting this critical work ourselves. Peaceful Tomorrows and Global Exchange, together with Afghan groups, are doing a survey of civilian casualties and providing immediate help to desperately poor people who were mistakenly hurt during the US military campaign. Please join us. We must let Afghans know that we care about their well-being and how sorry we are for their losses. It is through such commitments that we will build the foundation for a more secure and peaceful world.
Here is what you can do to help:
1. Call and write to your elected representative (sample letter below) and urge them to support the creation of a compensation fund for Afghan victims. The Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121.
2. Donate to the grassroots fund that we have created for Afghan victims while we advocate for a governmental fund. Checks can be made out to “FOR/Peaceful Tomorrows." In the memo, indicate "Afghan Fund." (Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) is the fiscal sponsor of Peaceful Tomorrows.)
For more information, contact Kelly Campbell at Peaceful Tomorrows, 415-518-1991, kelly@peacefultomorrows.org
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Elected Official,
I am writing today to ask that you support the creation of a compensation fund to help the Afghan civilians who lost close family members or were injured during US air strikes.
The victims of the September 11 tragedy have rightfully received a tremendous outpouring of compassion from the world community and help from the US government and humanitarian agencies to ease their burdens. But what about the innocent victims in Afghanistan who lost their lives during the US air strikes? Aren't they also deserving of similar compassion and support? Shouldn't our hearts and helping hands go out those people who were every bit as innocent as the victims of the September 11 attack?
Reports from Afghanistan show that many of the families of those who died in the bombing raids are living in dire economic straits. Those whose homes were leveled sleep in makeshift tents made of scraps of material. Orphaned children are crowded in with overburdened relatives. New widows, desperate to feed their children, are reduced to begging. The hospitals are overcrowded, understaffed and have few medicines. People with serious mental anguish go untreated, as there are only eight psychiatrists in a country of over 20 million.
The number of bombing casualties in Afghanistan is unclear, but two studies of civilian casualties put the number at between 1,000 and 4,000 people. The studies were conducted by the Project on Defense Alternatives and by University of New Hampshire Economics Professor Marc Herold. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have called on the U.S. government to provide information on civilian casualties. I urge the government to do a study of how many civilians were killed and injured; the circumstances that led to these casualties; how such casualties can be avoided in the future; and how much money is needed to effectively aid the victims.
The United States Government should then create a fund to compensate the families of those civilians accidentally killed by the bombing. Afghan relief organizations suggest an average grant of $10,000 to rebuild homes, restock possessions, secure adequate medical and psychological care, or compensate for the loss of breadwinners and caretakers. Assuming 2,000 families seek compensation, this would amount to a meager $20 million. Twenty million is less than one day’s military expense during the bombing campaign.
Assisting the Afghan people who have been victimized is not just morally right--it is also strategically wise. We must let Afghans know that we care about their well being by offering them compassion and support similar to what we are giving to those here. It is through such commitments that we will build the foundation for a more secure and peaceful world.
Thank you for your attention. I look forward to your response on this important matter.
Sincerely,
____________
Archived Alerts
August 23, 2002 - Support Afghan Sister Families Campaign July 6, 2002 - The Time is Now for an Afghan Victims Fund May 14, 2002 - Afghan Sister Families Campaign: Support is Growing April 9, 2002 - Afghan Victims Fund Alert Update March 7, 2002 - National Day of Action : Afghan Victims Fund Alert |
September Eleventh Families For Peaceful Tomorrows