Extorting sex for water

We can help stop sextortion [Sign now!]( For many, the holiday season is synonymous with extravagant and festive meals, while tens of thousands of girls and women are legally forced into sex just to have access to a few liters of water. But courageous survivors could make Kenya the first country to make extortion of sex for water a crime. If we support their fight, they will come together with the government and a group of experts to write a first-of-its-kind law that could inspire the whole world! Join their call: [Sign now!]( Dear friends, While many of us enjoy extravagant and festive meals during the holiday season, in Kenya and all over the world, tens of thousands of girls and women are coerced into sex only to have access to a few liters of water. Shockingly, it is completely legal in many countries! But women in Kenya are leading the fight to make their country the first in the world to pass laws to make extorting sex for water a crime. It could make Kenya a beacon for countries all around the world. The end-of-the-year holiday season should also be about defending human rights and our shared values. Will you sign now to call on the Kenyan government to work with top civil society groups and legal experts to draft the law and champion it before Parliament? [Kenya: Stop Sextortion!]( In Kibera, an area of extreme poverty on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, water is severely rationed. Studies suggest that tens of thousands of women and girls are forced to wake up at 3 am to get to the supply point, where many are forced to have sex in exchange for the water their families need to survive. And experts tell us it’s the same all across Kenya, but also in countries like India, Bangladesh, Mexico, Argentina… The absurdity is all the more worse in what should be a period of celebrations: excess and consumption on one side, and total deprivation on the other. Tons of food are thrown away each year for Christmas, and young girls are forced to walk miles alone in the middle of the night just to try to get water. Many of us want to give more meaning to the holidays that we celebrate at the end of the year. Let's start by taking action for those who are not as lucky as we are, add your voices to theirs, and tell the Kenyan government that extorting sex for water must be made a crime. Sign now: [Kenya: Stop Sextortion!]( The Avaaz movement stands for gender equity. We've fought for girls' education, stood in solidarity with the women's movement in Iran, and pushed for a groundbreaking treaty to protect women from workplace violence. We are fortunate to be fighting sextortion alongside the Kenya Water and Sanitation CSOs Network (KEWASNET), the Africa Civil Society Network for Water and Sanitation (ANEW), the Umande Trust, and incredible survivors. We share their hope that, together, we can make sure their daughters grow up in a world without sextortion. With hope and determination, Mel, Nate, Patricia, Antonia, Huiting and the rest of the Avaaz team More information: - [Sextortion rife in Kenya's Kibera slum](~:text=Women%20and%20girls%20in%20Kenya's,prevalent%20in%20many%20rural%20communities.) (Deutche Welle) - [Sex for Water is Sextortion, and it is a crime]( (Stockholm International Water Institute) - [Sex For Water Project: Promoting Safe Space for Girls and Young Women in Kibera]((KEWASNET and ANEW) - [Food waste at Christmas: How bad is it and what can you do about it?]( (Euronews) - [It's time to cut the obscene amount of Christmas food waste]( (The Guardian) Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns [here](, or follow us on [Facebook](, [Twitter](, or [Instagram](. You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "Join Avaaz!" on 2016-03-01 using the email address {EMAIL}. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, [contact us](, or simply [go here to unsubscribe](. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at [www.avaaz.org/en/contact]( . [Avaaz.org] 27 Union Square West Suite 500 New York, NY 10003 [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram](