Potential War on Iraq: A Threat to Women and Children

A Call to Action by the Justice for Women Working Group of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
September 24, 2002

When the armies march, there is no harvest." (Ethiopian proverb)

 War is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus. The first duty of nations is to seek ways to resolve disputes by peaceful means.

Women and children are the ultimate victims of any war. For centuries, women have been abducted and raped as spoils of war. Battles are waged on their bodies and in their communities. Children, when they survive at all, are often pressed into military service. In Iraq, women and children have already suffered disproportionately from the long economic sanctions. The infant and child mortality rate in Iraq is among the highest in the world (higher, for instance, than either Haiti or Sudan; 130 Iraqi children out of every 1000 die before age 5, compared with 8 deaths out of 1000 by children in the U.S.). Innocent civilians suffer more than anyone else in virtually every war; war against Iraq would inevitably result in a particularly dramatic demonstration of this truth.

We are equally concerned about the future of our own children, particularly those who would be called upon to fight in a war on Iraq. Presidents and legislators may declare war, but it is children who die in them.

Therefore, we declare our opposition to U.S. military action against Iraq. We reject the use of war as an instrument of foreign policy. We declare our resistance to the pre-emptive use of military force to deal with serious international threats, knowing the catastrophic death toll and global retaliation such an act would unleash.

We call upon women of faith to raise their voices on behalf of those who have little voice and no power: the women and the children of Iraq. We call upon President Bush to set an example for the international community by seeking alternatives to war in Iraq and the Middle East. We expect our government to pursue peace, to respect international laws and treaties and to work with the world community to resolve continuing threats to peace and order. Above all, we re-commit ourselves to the values of Jesus Christ, friend of women, protector of children and Prince of Peace.