Daisy Forster and Anna Friel
At Impact, we recognise the importance of using your voice to make the world a better place. One of the ways we can do this is by signing petitions. In order to ‘Be The Change’ we want to see in the world in 2021, we have decided to compile a monthly list of important petitions for you to sign. Requiring no more than 5 minutes of your time, here are our March selections!
Call for pharmaceutical companies to share vaccine technologies
This petition calls on pharmaceutical companies to share their knowledge and technology so that other countries can also produce COVID-19 vaccines. Currently, there won’t be enough vaccines produced this year for even a fraction of the world’s population, and poorer countries are disproportionately affected by the shortage.
Twenty years ago, leading pharma companies allowed others to produce low cost ‘generic’ versions of HIV medicines, giving millions more people access to the lifesaving treatment. One way that companies can achieve this cooperation is by joining EHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) to pool resources between companies, but so far, no company has joined it.
Sign this petition now to give all countries greater access to the vaccine.
Iran: 30+ years in prison for protesting forced veiling laws
Three Iranian women have been charged with ‘inciting prostitution’ for not wearing veils and have been sentenced to over thirty years in prison, between them.
With COVID-19 cases being confirmed in prisons across Iran, these women are in more danger than ever. Sign this petition to call on Iran’s Head of the Judiciary to release Monireh, Yasaman and Mojgan immediately.
Our Streets Now is a student led, nationwide campaign against public sexual harassment, seeking to enact cultural and legislative change. The University of Nottingham campaign has issued an open letter to Shearer West, the Vice Chancellor, that calls for more action from the University in tackling this very prevalent issue.
Head to their Instagram @ourstreetsnow_uon for links to sign the open letter and to read UoN student testimonies of PSH. Below are also links to the nationwide petitions to make PSH a crime.
https://plan-uk.org/act-for-girls/crime-not-compliment
https://www.change.org/p/make-public-sexual-harassment-a-criminal-offence-in-the-uk
Climate change, sea mining, over-fishing and plastic pollution threaten the health of Earth’s oceans and seas. This petition asks governments to deliver a strong Global Ocean Treaty to place the most vulnerable and important parts of our oceans off limits and create a network of ocean sanctuaries to protect wildlife.
UN Women UK have started the Draw A Line campaign to end violence against women. The issues targeted include sexual harassment, domestic abuse, and FGM. The petition works with grassroots activists as well as calling for the Government, Local Authorities, corporates, and social media, amongst others, to do more in the struggle to end violence against women.
Yemen is currently facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis due to war and famine. More than 80% of the population, over 24 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The Salam for Yemen petition calls on the States in the Security Council of the United Nations to help stop the fighting, lift blockades, supply critically needed aid and bring parties to the negotiating table.
Daisy Forster and Anna Friel
Featured image courtesy of Kalei Peek on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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