Ask
your Senators and Representative to cosponsor the International Violence Against Women Act.
The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) has been introduced in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The bill, which was also introduced in the House and the Senate during the last Congress, has been reintroduced by 25 Senators and by 25 Representatives from both sides of the aisle. We now have a new opportunity to build support for the I-VAWA and make a difference in millions of women's lives.
Violence against women is a human rights violation and a worldwide pandemic – approximately 1 out of every 3 women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. I-VAWA supports innovative approaches to ending violence against women globally by promoting services for survivors, holding perpetrators accountable and challenging public attitudes that condone such violence.
Support this effort to protect women's rights. Ask your Senators and Representative to cosponsor the International Violence Against Women Act. Take action – send an email today.
What the passage of I-VAWA would mean to women around the world:
- Increased efforts to prevent violence against women during conflict
- Legal reform and commitment to finding perpetrators and bringing them to justice
- Strengthened capacity of women's organizations to help survivors
- Increased opportunities for women, free from violence, to seek testing or treatment for HIV/AIDS
- Expanded economic and educational opportunities that would help women who are abused flee their abuser or reduce their risk for sexual exploitation.
Urge your Senator and/or Representative to cosponsor International Violence Against Women Act.
Learn more about the International Violence Against Women Act from Amnesty USA, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, and Women Thrive Worldwide.
General Assembly Policy:
The 208th General Assembly (1996) "recognizes the vital importance of public policy advocacy for women of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and commends the Washington Office for its legislative efforts to end discrimination against women… [and] urges Presbyterian women, women's advocacy networks, and other justice seeking committees in the PCUSA to give serious attention to the renewal of legislative efforts to eliminate discrimination against women."