Taking a STAND against genocide

Student coalitions can promote human rights and draw attention to issues as seen in the efforts of STAND USA (A Student Coalition Against Gencide in Darfur formerly Students Taking Action Now for Darfur ) and STAND Canada (still Students Taking Action Now for Darfur).

These groups have formed coalitions and brought wide ranges of students together to pressure their respective governments and to push for divestment of university, pension and other funds. The coalition has reached beyond just university students to include highschool students, which bodes well for the future of the movement.

STAND Canada produces a series of excellent newsletters on the issue, which are accessible from their website.

STAND USA also has a newsletter accessible from their site and a news section.

The issue of genocide in Sudan and Darfur has a special resonance to Canadians, because until 2002, Talisman Energy Inc. was one of the largest oil companies working in the region. They were accused of complicity with the goverment in a wide variety of abuses, by NGOs and civil society groups. This has led to court cases in the US and Canada. It also led to them selling their share in Sudan oil assets to China National Petroleum Corp.. This has raised another kettle of abuses, which continue to this day.

Corpobligation encourages you to at the minimum sign the STAND petitions and write a quick letter to your legislator. http://www.standnow.org/take_action or http://www.standcanada.org/index.php/take_action

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