http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/macrodarte/

As I stated in my previous post,  I personally do not feel that the responses from MAC and Rodarte on the issue of their upcoming beauty range ‘inspired’ by the area of Ciudad Juarez are adequate. I appreciate their apologies and MAC’s pledge to make a donation, but feel that $100,000 is not enough considering MAC’s global scale and financial capabilities. I believe they could afford to (and ought to) donate ALL PROFITS of this range and make a longer-term committment to helping the women of Juarez, to whom they refer in their collection, and who helped inspire their collection, by RAISING AWARENESS through the marketing of this makeup range.

To this effect, myself and others have helped to create a petition which calls for MAC and Rodarte to:

(a) donate all profits to the appropriate non-profit organisations (see below);

and (b) to keep the names of the products in order to raise awareness of the situation in Ciudad Juarez, and include in their marketing and advertising materials for this launch a clear message which will help to educate the public, globally, on the exploitation and femicides happening in Juarez.

To view and sign the petition, click this link: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/macrodarte/

As promised in my previous post, I also contacted a number of experts and activists, who are far more educated on the situation in Ciudad Juarez, in order to seek advice from those ‘in the know’ on how and where the money donated by MAC should be spent.

I am very grateful to have had a reply from the Executive Director for Women on the Border, Inc, a registered tax exempt nonprofit orgnisation that has a mission of educating and supporting the empowerment of women in the maquiladoras in Ciudad Juarez and the border region.

I was advised that there are three organisations in particular who could help the women of Juarez, both on ground-level (supporting the victims’ famililes) and in a wider, mobilisation capacity. These are:

1. The Comite Fronterizo de Obreras (CFO)

This organisation has “a proven track record of empowerment of women” I was told. The CFO  “does amazing work with girls and women whose profiles are no different from some of the women and girls who have disappeared and were found dead in Juarez and other border cities. They could really use help.”

“Donations for the CFO (Comité Fronterizo de Obreras) can be sent via Women on the Border, to addressing the check to WOB, Inc./CFO if someone needs a U.S. tax exempt letter, and mailing it to PO Box 303338, Austin, TX 78703.

Or directly they can send a donation to the CFO by mailing to:  CFO, 2305 El Indio Hwy., Eagle Pass, TX 78853 (USA).”

“Personally I would love for some of that designated money to go to the CFO for they understand women’s lack of empowerment and the direct links between the general attitudes toward working women in the maquiladoras and the femicides.”

2. Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez

Mission Statement: Work toward ending crimes against women in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua City in solidarity with organizations in Cd. Juárez and Chihuahua City that provide support to the family members of the femicide victims. Assist these organizations to seek grants and external funding to support their struggles to obtain justice, truth and transparency from their government.

3. Casa Amiga

This website is in Spanish, so I could not print the mission statement. But I believe I’m right in saying they work directly with affected families of the victims of femicides in Ciudad Juarez through support, relief, fundraising and education. I am waiting to hear back from them as to their views on this.

The Executive Director for Women on the Border, Inc was also keen to point out that: 

“The issue is one of systematic sexism directed at women, which can be as mild as harassment in the workplace and as extreme as abduction, rape and murder.  The context is, at a minimum, the lack of economic justice and sensitivity to the critical role of gender in globalization of the economies of all countries who exploit resources, including mostly female labor in poor countries, for profit.”

I would like to personally thank every blogger and individual who has so far gone to great lengths and put a lot of energy into this cause. I feel personally very passionate about it which is why I see this as an opportunity to raise widescale awareness and I feel I must take this opportunity, while the issue is fresh in people’s minds. For everyone who has helped so far and everyone who signs the petition to help further, I am personally very grateful.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/macrodarte/