One in Three is Inexcusable
Check out this partner post about International Violence Against Women Act from our friends at Women Thrive Worldwide.
Every day around the world, a war is waged against women and girls. Approximately one out of every three women globally has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Violence against women includes abuse by spouses or partners in the home, rape as a weapon during times of war, dowry-related deaths and forced prostitution. This abuse is a global health crisis, an egregious human rights violation, and a moral outrage that knows no geographic or cultural barriers.
But what many people don’t realize is that violence against women is also a major cause of poverty. Violence keeps women from getting an education. Violence keeps women from earning an income to help lift themselves and their families out of poverty (research has shown that economic opportunity empowers women to escape abusive situations).
Today, Senator Kerry (D-MA), Senator Snowe (R-ME), Senator Boxer (D-CA), Senator Collins (R-ME), Congressman Delahunt (D-MA), Congressman Poe (R-TX), Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) and others will reintroduce the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA). IVAWA is the most comprehensive piece of legislation addressing violence against women and girls worldwide. This bipartisan bill would support proven best practices for reducing gender-based violence. It would expand our government’s ability to prevent violence against women caught in conflict, support grassroots organizations already working to effectively combat violence in their communities, and would make it globally known that the U.S. is committed to ending violence against women and girls.
To help make IVAWA a priority, please send a message to your Representative and Senators at www.WomenThrive.org/ivawa and ask them to co-sponsor IVAWA. To find out more information about IVAWA, or to read about other ways to get involved, visit www.WomenThrive.org/ivawatools.
- Mckenzie Lock, Women Thrive Worldwide
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