E-mail CBS and urge them to report responsibly on gender apartheid in Afghanistan, and not to allow human rights violators to be the only voice for the women and girls of Afghanistan. Call Congressional Leadership on October 19 to Urge Passage of Hate Crime Prevention Legislation. This amendment was an updated version of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Despite overwhelming support for this legislation, on October 5th, the GOP leadership removed the hate crimes legislation from the Department of Defense Authorization bill. The Hate Crime Prevention Act will allow federal prosecution of hate crimes directed against a person's race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.
Hate crimes are serious, well-documented problems that remain inadequately recognized.
While states should continue to play the primary role in the prosecution of hate crime violence, a federal law is needed to compliment state statutes and be applied when a state is unwilling or unable to act. It is critical that the 106th Congress pass hate crimes prevention legislation so that every woman can live in an environment free of the terror brought on by gender-based violence. Congress must not adjourn this year without enacting legislation to strengthen the federal response to hate crime violence.