7,850 People Urge Immediate Help
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Jul 9, 2009 Posted by Michael Zamba
7,850 People Urge Immediate Help for Haiti's Children
Nearly 8,000 people signed a petition to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thanking her for supporting Haiti – while urging her to dedicate more resources to that country’s exploited and trafficked children.
The petition reminds Secretary Clinton that the State Department reports that as many as 200,000 children are the victims of trafficking.
Organized by the Pan American Development Foundation and distributed through Care2, the petition provided space for people to write comments to the Secretary Clinton.
A person in Michigan wrote: “No denial of the basic necessities of life is more abhorrent than withholding them from a child. No crime perpetrated against a human being is more vile than one inflicted on a child.”
The online petition also gathered signatures from other countries. A woman in Australia contributed this comment:
“Dear Ms Secretary of State, though not a citizen of the U.S., I care deeply about children who are being exploited, abused and trafficked in Haiti—as I believe you do also. I also understand that the US's lead on this issue is critical in making real progress towards stamping out these human evils. Please continue to show real leadership on this matter, as you did in April.”
PADF will deliver the petition, along with the comments, to the State Department this Summer as it continues to work to improve the lives of Haitian children who are the victims of exploitation, trafficking and violence.