Support 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 increasing her exposure to HIV/AIDS. 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.
Show your support for the original cosponsoring Senators and Representatives commitment to women’s rights by urging your Senator and/or Representative to cosponsor the International Violence Against Women Act.
The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) (S.2982, HR. 4594) creates a comprehensive, integrated approach to addressing violence and places women at the center of U.S. foreign policy. The bill supports measures to prevent violence, protect survivors and bring perpetrators to justice. It contains best practice provisions for preventing and responding to violence against women during times of peace and times of conflict.
What the passage of I-VAWA would mean to women around the world:
- Increased efforts to prevent violence against women during conflict and in humanitarian settings
- 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
- Speak out against the horrors women suffer around the world. Urge your Senator and/or Representative to cosponsor International Violence against Women Act.
- Take action now!
General Assembly Guidance:
In recognition of factors that indicate that the teachings of some organizations and churches have unintentionally been a factor in fostering a climate of acceptance for the subjugation and oppression of women, culminating in acts of violence against women, the 211th General Assembly (1999) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted a resolution that renewed its commitment to stand in solidarity with women.
In 2001 with the adoption of the paper, Turn Mourning into Dancing the General Assembly directed the Presbyterian Washington Office to do the following:
a. Monitor legislation involving domestic violence and related federal initiatives and advocate the church’s policy.
b. Advocate support for daycare, shelters, social services, etc. that counteract the rise of violence and abuse in society.
c. Reaffirm the General Assembly’s call to urge the United States Senate to ratify the United Nations Conventions on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and on the Rights of the Child.
d. Support policies, programs, and services that protect victims, hold offenders accountable for their offenses, provide incarceration of and treatment for offenders of domestic violence and advocate for support for family members.