Breaking: Refugee women face assault, exploitation and harassment

Breaking: Refugee women f ace assault, exploitation and harassment

Dear Tracy, If a woman can't pay for her passage, she may be harassed to have sex with a smuggler for a discount. That's yet another unsafe environment refugee women face as they try to escape the bloodshed in Syria. Amnesty investigators recently interviewed over 40 women who had made the treacherous journey from Turkey to Greece and then across the Balkans. All of them said they were constantly terrified during the trek across Europe. They were sexually targeted by smugglers and felt physically threatened when forced to sleep, shower and use the bathroom in facilities shared with hundreds of men. Make an urgent donation to help Amnesty research and publicize abuses like these so that we can pressure governments and aid agencies to do more to help. Some women took extreme measures such as not eating or drinking to avoid having to go to the toilet where they felt unsafe. One woman said a uniformed German security guard offered her clothes if she would spend time alone with him. At a hotel in Turkey, one woman reported that a Syrian smuggler told her she would pay less if she had sex with him. This must stop. Our new research shows firsthand that governments and aid agencies are failing to provide basic protections for women and girls. After living through the horrors of the war in Syria, these women acted bravely to find safety for themselves and their children. But from the moment they began this journey, they were again exposed to violence and exploitation with little support or protection. Please donate to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue our investigations on the frontlines of the crisis and will support our work publicizing our findings and pressure government agencies meet their obligations to ensure women and girls are safe- through media campaigns and through in-person meetings with key decision makers in government and relief agencies. Thank you so much for your support. Sincerely, Sunjeev Bery Advocacy Director, Middle East North Africa Amnesty International USA