They jailed her for a miscarriage

They jailed her for a miscarriage

Dear Tracy, When 22-year old Andrea* collapsed in her bathroom in agony, she had no idea she was pregnant. She had been raped months before and had buried the memory. She woke up in the hospital, still in pain after suffering a miscarriage. There were police officers in the room. She was handcuffed to her hospital bed. That's when she found out she was under arrest for "killing her unborn child." Amnesty is taking action for women and girls like Andrea who are suffering through outrageous injustice. Will you help us? Sadly, Andrea's story is not unique. And neither are the ways that she was let down by the people and institutions who should have protected her. From the local authorities who did not charge the men who raped her with any crime, to the prosecutors who assume her miscarriage was actually an illegal abortion, the government has failed Andrea - and its human rights obligations - in devastating ways. But where they failed, you can help. Andrea's story has not ended well... yet. She is in El Salvador, serving a 40-year sentence in an overcrowded women's prison. Conditions are terrible. But as long as people like you care about Andrea's story, she is not alone. Amnesty is working in El Salvador and around the world to change the conditions for women like Andrea. Because of your support, we're working with groups on the ground to end the draconian laws in El Salvador that end up imprisoning women who miscarry, and we're fighting to secure these women's release. Will you help us with a donation today? Your gift will provide support for our campaigners and activists to work on behalf of women's rights and to make sure Andrea and others like her are not forgotten. With hope, Tarah Demant Senior Director, Identity and Discrimination Unit Amnesty International USA *This story is a composite of those told to Amnesty International by women and girls in El Salvador. For security and confidentiality issues, Amnesty is unable to reveal their real names or their specific circumstances. All of the elements of Andrea's story are based on actual events that happened to women and girls in El Salvador.