June 26 is United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Religious and human rights organizations in the United States have declared the month of June to be Torture Awareness Month as a way to provide greater visibility to this issue and provide an opportunity for coordinated actions across the country. Here are a couple of ideas for ways to observe Torture Awareness month:
The Church Responds to Torture includes a summary of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly statements on torture, prayers, a letter from PC(USA) Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons to President Obama, prayers, ideas for action and more.
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) encourages congregations and people of faith to focus on passing legislation granting the International Committee of the Red Cross access to all detainees in U.S. custody. There are two ways to take part in this campaign:
Send an email to Members of Congress.
Organize an effort to send postcards to the local offices of Members of Congress or to their offices in Washington, DC. NRCAT has a couple of suggestions for how to participate in the postcard effort:
- Print at your home or organization's office on postcard paper, such as Avery® 5689 (4 cards per sheet, each card is 5-1/2" x 4-1/4") – Download the postcard file.
- Use any local or online printer and postcard weight paper and cut to size – Download the postcard file.
If the postcards will be mailed individually, you can use the blank side of the postcards to write the address for your Member of Congress. If you are collecting a bunch of postcards for hand delivery or to mail together as a package, individuals could write the Member's name followed by a personal note.