File spoon-archives/marxism-feminism.archive/marxism-feminism_1997/marxism-feminism.9706, message 25


Date: Wed, 25 Jun 1997 23:09:34 -0500
From: Yoshie Furuhashi <Furuhashi.1-AT-osu.edu>
Subject: M-FEM: Welfare Reform Violates Human Rights: A Call for Testimony and


Welfare cuts disproportionately affect women, and actions to fight against
them should interest the subscribers to this list. Please read on and see
if and how you can help.

Yoshie

>Date: Wed, 25 Jun 1997 18:28:53 -0500
>From: Jim Davis <jdav-AT-MCS.COM>
>Subject: Welfare Reform Violates Human Rights: A Call for Testimony and
> Documentation
>Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA>
>Reply-to: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA>
>
>Welfare Reform Violates Human Rights: A Call for Testimony and Documentation
>
>
>A Project of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union and the Poor People's Embassy
>
>
>WELFARE CUTS = HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
>
>The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed in 1948,
>guarantees every man, woman and child the right to housing, food,
>education, health care and living wage jobs. Recent federal and state
>welfare reforms in the United States violate these rights. People who have
>been receiving public relief are told to "get a job" while millions of
>unemployed and under-employed people can't find jobs. With the new welfare
>laws, those who cannot find a job are no longer guaranteed the right to
>food, housing, clothing and health care. As a result of this, more and more
>people are unable to feed, house and clothe their families.
>
>
>
>THE MARCH FOR OUR LIVES
>
>We refuse to die as a result of these cuts. From June 21 to July 1, 1997,
>poor families from the Kensington Welfare Rights Union in Philadelphia will
>lead a 10-day March for Our Lives from the Liberty Bell to the United
>Nations. With this historic march, we will expose the inhumane conditions
>in which we are forced to live, and we will insist on our right to live.
>
>
>
>THE HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION PROJECT
>
>It is critical that the stories of poor people struggling to survive every
>day against incredible odds be told. These cuts and the conditions we are
>forced to live in are inhumane and need to be documented and exposed for
>what they are: violations of some of our most basic human rights.
>
>
>
>The Kensington Welfare Rights Union and the Poor People's Embassy, a
>project initiated by the KWRU, are collecting evidence of human rights
>abuses across the country. With this evidence, we want to tell the world
>what is happening to us. On July 1, at the end of the March For Our Lives,
>this evidence will be presented before the United Nations and the world
>community. Then in October, we will return with further documentation of
>the effects of the welfare cuts to officially present our grievances, on
>behalf of all poor people, to the United Nations.
>
>
>
>A CALL FOR TESTIMONY
>
>To make this project effective and to tell our story to the world, we need
>your help in documenting the effects of the welfare cuts on people in your
>community. Please send us newspaper articles, photographs, video footage,
>personal stories, testimony and any other materials which document human
>rights violations resulting from welfare and medical cuts. Such violations
>include:
>
>
>
>* becoming homeless.
>
>* injury or death from being cut off welfare, food stamps, medical care or SSI
>
>* being forced to take a job below minimum wage
>
>* being forced to work in unsafe conditions
>
>* being forced to live with an abuser because of lack of resources
>
>* suicide resulting from stress of being cut off welfare
>
>* house fires or collapses due to landlord or city neglect, or not being
>able to pay for repairs
>
>* injury or death from not having heat or ventilation
>
>* injury, mental health problems or death because of lack of food, housing,
>utilities, child care or medical care
>
>
>
>These conditions are human rights violations and we must record them and
>tell the world what is happening to us. Call us for a Human Rights
>Documentation packet or if you're interested in being interviewed. Please
>send any stories, articles, photographs, etc. to:
>
>
>
>Kensington Welfare Rights Union
>PO Box 50678
>Philadelphia, PA 19143
>215/763-4584
>kwru-AT-libertynet.org
>
>
>
>THE KWRU AND THE POOR PEOPLE'S EMBASSY
>
>The Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) is an organization of poor and
>homeless women, men and children of all races struggling to end poverty. We
>fight to meet the basic needs of poor people in Pennsylvania and to build a
>movement to end poverty which is led by poor and homeless people and
>involves people from all walks of life. KWRU is a member of the National
>Welfare Rights Union and an affiliate of the National Union of Hospital and
>Healthcare Employees, AFSCME, AFL-CIO. KWRU is an affiliate of the Labor
>Party.
>
>In the fall of 1996, the Kensington Welfare Rights Union established the
>Poor People's Embassy. This historic Embassy represents poor people
>throughout Pennsylvania and the United States. The mission of this historic
>Embassy is to represent poor people at the legislature, document human
>rights abuses against poor people and serve as a means for poor people to
>speak for themselves and be represented in the national and international
>community.
>
>"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and
>well-being of himself and his family, including food, housing and medical
>care..." (Article 25; Universal Declaration)
>
>
>
>--
>
>Kensington Welfare Rights Union
>http://www.libertynet.org/~kwru
>kwru-AT-libertynet.org
>




   

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