Women's Rights

My name is Diana Denza and I am the representative for Endangered Bodies New York. This is one of eight linked petitions by Endangered Bodies directed at Apple, Google and Amazon. I've worked with vulnerable children and young adults through both paid employment and volunteer work. Day in and day out, these young people are being told that their bodies are their sole value -- and that they will never be enough as they are.Plastic surgery apps don't provide any educational value and send young people the message that the only way to attain perfection is through the use of drastic, body-altering methods.As someone who struggled with an eating disorder in her young adult years, I know all too well how toxic the message that these apps depict can be -- reinforcing the notion that being "thin" and "pretty" will make your life "perfect." Children and young adults deserve better than damaging apps that offer an extremely narrow definition of beauty. _____________________ Cosmetic surgery apps, which often feature animated characters, are being marketed to kids as young as nine, a target group that is already influenced by our body-toxic culture. Our societies are saturated with images of perfect and unattainable bodies, with over 21 million cosmetic procedures being performed throughout the world in 2015 according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The dissatisfaction many adults face with their bodies has trickled down to our children. Statistics from The National Eating Disorder Association in the U.S. show 81% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. In the UK, the 2016 Girlguiding Girls’ Attitudes Survey found more than a third of girls aged seven to ten felt women were valued more for their appearance than their abilities. Globally, children deserve to be challenged and inspired by their toys, not to spend their free time worrying about how they look. On January 14, 2014, Endangered Bodies supported the UK-based Twitter account Everyday Sexism in its call to remove plastic surgery apps aimed at children featured on iTunes and the Google Play store. Within 24 hours, both platforms removed the flagged apps. Although neither platform released an official statement, their choice to remove these “games” indicates that they recognize the potential harm they can cause. Deceptively designed as children’s games, the apps encourage users to slice virtual patients apart using scalpels, syringes, and other tools used in surgical settings. By making cosmetic surgery apps available for download, Apple, Google and Amazon are allowing companies to stoke and profit from the insecurities of children. We at Endangered Bodies challenge the toxic culture that promotes negative body image. Cosmetic surgery apps, which promote body dissatisfaction and shame, are not games that should be marketed to vulnerable young people. Although in some cases (where games have age-based ratings) it is possible for parents to limit access to these games through parental controls, we believe that further action is needed. Apple, Google and Amazon need to scrutinize the apps that already feature an age rating to ensure the content isn’t in fact directed at younger children, using the age limit as a way to still offer their app for download. In other words, we don’t want these platforms to use the age rating system as justification to continue to offer these apps, which are clearly designed for children. Please sign this petition to ask Apple, Google and Amazon to implement a policy which is clear to every developer, that they will not accept any such apps that are targeted at children and make a commitment to protect the mental health of their young users.  

Please help Krista Richardson and other disabled individuals, unable to care for themselves, get child support.   Help us enact the #KristaRichardson law to put in to mandate - federal law that any adult, disabled child receive child support and other appropriate support from their biological parent(s). Krista was born with two brain malformations. Cerebellar Atrophy is atrophy of the cerebellum portion of her brain, the command center for balance and motor skills. Microcephally is tiny head and smaller brain. She is intellectually disabled as a result of her brain malformations. Krista also has physical limitations, including suffering from motor dyspraxia.  Krista is 23 years old; however, can not care for herself.  I am her mother.  I have home schooled her and am her full time caregiver. My husband, Krista's biological father, abandoned us in 2011 for a different life.  Although I filed for divorce and it is admitted in the courtroom (public records) that her father was paying for prostitutes and left us for this reason, I left the court room with no alimony after 25 years of marriage.  This in itself is/was very damaging, as I am Krista's sole and only caregiver.  On top of this, we were ordered NO/ZERO child support.  Myself with Bi-Lateral Meniere's and my daughter with multiple disabilities, left the courtroom with no monetary award/compensation, no asset division, not even insurance for myself or my daughter.  This occurred due to my husband's financial status and clout in the county we resided.  My daughter, Krista, is disabled by state, federal and medical guidelines.  Proof of disability was introduced and produced in the courtroom.  These documents included "disability" findings from the federal government.  My former spouse was able to dismiss these documents by simply uttering, "she is not disabled".  His statement was allowed to trump and/or dismiss federal documentation of her disabilities.  Her documents were ignored and thrown out. I have Bi-Lateral Meniere's disease, with many accompanying diagnoses.  This coupled with caring for sweet Krista, limits my ability to earn a substantial income. As a homeschool mother that helped operate the family businesses, the assets were all in my former husband's name. Furthermore, my former husband has assets totaling over 1.5 million AND is president and owner of a very successful oil company (that I helped grow) with locations in Sumter, SC and Charlotte, NC.  Although we had multiple homes as a married couple, he was awarded all assets.  My former spouse still owns multiple residents, including a beach home and continues to thrive, as I continue the challenge of caring for my beautiful Krista, with zero support from her father. Without appropriate support from Krista's father, Krista loses out on medical advancement opportunities, therapies, enrichment opportunities and if my disease continues to worsen, we do not know what the future holds.  My daughter did not ask to be born.  She deserves better than this.  Although Krista does (post family court) now receive SSI benefits from the government, it is VERY limited.  It is well below poverty level assistance. The court system should not have the right to oppress individuals in order to give in to power, money, bias and prejudice.  A disabled individual's livelihood should not depend on the arrogance of one judge. Please help Krista and others like her gain the support they need to live.  We are on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/karola.richardson/ https://youtu.be/_ZJnkGKiej8 I plead with Eric S. Dreiband Assistant Attorney General, The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.  Krista and so many others need support from their dads (or moms) to thrive and survive.  Too many disabled individuals end up living in poverty or state custody due to lack of parent involvement or financial support.  #KristaRichardson https://www.instagram.com/karola.richardson/  http://www.theitem.com/stories/kto-night-for-children-with-differences,4078  

For immigrant women, entering the U.S. can be a difficult road. A recent study showed that many women are being strip searched and sexually abused by Border Patrol Agents. Their complaints are rarely addressed, and the agents are hardly ever reprimanded. The current process for even filing a complaint is filled with obstacles. When complaints are filed, it’s often the Border Agent’s word against the victims. Immigration stories shouldn’t include incidents of sexual coercion. Tell the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to protect immigrant women from sexual assault - place cameras in booking areas. Two sisters from Guatemala were strip searched and sexually assaulted by a Border Patrol Agent. He took each of them separately, forcing them to remove their clothes and touched their genitals. The booking areas all were without cameras. Current DHS policies require strip searches be performed only by female agents. If that is impossible due to staffing, then two agents are supposed to be in the room. Their complaint was investigated, only to be thrown out due to a ‘lack of physical evidence’. Their story isn’t isolated. From 2010-2016, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection received 84 complaints of coerced sexual assault. Agents should not use their positions of power to sexually assault  immigrant women. Tell the DHS to protect immigrant women from sexual assault, install cameras in booking areas. Sexual assaults by Border Agents is not something that can be overlooked.

A 40-year old law grants pregnant women workplace protections, but there’s a big loophole - if businesses don’t already aid other workers with similar health restrictions, they don’t legally have to help pregnant women. Women are having miscarriages because employers are not accommodating them. Tell Congress to beef up this existing workplace protection law, to treat pregnant women in line with ADA considerations. In a recent New York Times piece, several pregnant women working in a warehouse had their needs ignored. A third-party logistics company used by Verizon was forcing pregnant women to carry on their duties, as if they weren’t pregnant. Those duties included carrying 45-pound boxes. Many of the women had doctor’s notes stating they should not carry heavy boxes for both their own health and the health of their babies. Their needs were neglected. Most of them had miscarriages. No woman should have to choose between her job, her health, and the health of her unborn child. That’s why across the U.S., 23 states and the District of Columbia have created additional anti-discrimination laws to protect pregnant women from being fired and mistreated in the workplace. According to the National Women’s Law Center, “they share a core principle: a pregnant worker with a medical need for accommodation should not be pushed out of work when she can be reasonably accommodated without imposing an undue hardship on the employer.” States shouldn’t have to go it alone, workplace protections for pregnant women should be available to all Americans. Women working in factories or in other strenuous environments shouldn’t lose their babies, or face serious health issues themselves. Tell Congress to expand the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, protect pregnant women from avoidable health complications.