IS SHE OUR ENEMY?? Amar, 3 months old. Suffering from nutritional marasmus. Weight at birth: 10.3 lb. Weight at 3 mos: 6.8 lb. Ideal weight: 13.2 lb. Basrah, December 1996 (photo from Voices in the Wilderness)

WHY SHOULD THE SANCTIONS END?

Insufficient food and medicine

- for Iraqi children under 5, the huge increase in mortality in public hospitals is due mainly to diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition. (U.N. estimates 1.7 million dead since the sanctions began.)
- 32% of Iraqi children are chronically malnourished. (UNICEF, November 1997)

Infrastructure Damage

- Damage to much of Iraq's infrastructure by the Allied Forces in the 1991 Gulf War (including electrical, sewage, and water systems) has resulted in polluted rivers, sewage in the streets, and a scarcity of clean water.
- The sanctions (now 9 years old) inhibit importing spare parts and other components needed to repair the infrastructure.
- Infections from illnesses that are the result of drinking polluted water are now the leading cause of death among Iraqi children.

The Sanctions are illegal!

- International law does not condone the destruction of a civilian population for any military or political end.
- The sanctions violate the Genva Convention, the UN Charter, World Health Organization Constitution, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States.

CAN YOU DO SOMETHING??

- Tell your friends and family about the devastating effects of the sanctions on Iraq.
- Let your Congresspeople, President Clinton, and Madeline Albright know where you stand.
- Attend a vigil (like this one, or organize your own).
- Contribute time and money to the work of bringing an end to the sanctions.