A Global Effort to End Violence Against Women

Globally, up to 60% of women may experience some form of physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. Domestic violence, human trafficking, and widespread inequality and poverty continue to persist throughout the world, negatively affecting economic development, public health, and human rights. It costs the US $4.1 billion per year for direct medical and health care services provided in cases of domestic violence, and those estimates are even higher for other countries such as Uganda. In addition, there are indirect costs caused by lost employment and lower productivity, and the immeasurable costs of human pain and suffering.

I’m joining my colleagues as an original cosponsor of the International Violence Against Women Act, also known as I-VAWA. I-VAWA creates an international strategy to combat injustice faced by many women and girls and ensures assistance and accountability by local governments.

Under this bill, the Secretary of State, in collaboration with the US International Development Agency, the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees, and other federal and civil agencies, would create a five-year strategy to:

• Ensure girls access to education and literacy programs
• Encourage participation of women in government
• Empower community-based women’s organizations
• Use media to demonstrate that violence against women is not accepted
• Enhance the capacity of the legal and health care sectors to respond to and prevent violence

My colleague, Representative Jan Schakowsky, who introduced the legislation, has said on this issue:

“Violence against women knows no borders, nor class, race, ethnicity, or religion. Women in conflict zones face a particularly desperate situation because of the use of rape and sexual violence against women as a weapon of war. This legislation asks our government to integrate prevention of violence against women into every aspect of our diplomatic and development policy.”

Supporting international human rights has long been important to me, and I will continue to speak out so that women and girls can live free from the threat of personal harm.