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Welcome V-Day Activists: Let's Get IVAWA Passed!

1 in 3 women worldwide will be the victim of rape, assault, or other forms of abuse in her lifetime. One of the places where the ravaging impact of violence against women is felt most severely is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where rape is used as a weapon of war to destroy women and their communities. The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA), if passed, would require the U.S. government to respond to critical outbreaks of gender-based violence - like the mass rapes occuring right now in Congo - in a timely manner. It would consistently incorporate solutions for reducing violence against women into U.S. foreign assistance and would make ending violence against women a diplomatic priority for the first time in U.S. history. Over the last ten years, V-Day members have accomplished amazing results in the fight againt gender-based violence everywhere. Now we need your help to make the IVAWA a reality for women worldwide.

Add your voice to the thousands of Americans who have taken a stand with women worldwide:

Tell Congress to Pass I-VAWA!

The IVAWA was developed by Women Thrive Worldwide, Amnesty International USA, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, and members of Congress with the help of organizational partners. It was drafted in consultation with more than 150 groups including U.S.-based NGOs, U.N. agencies and 40 women's groups across the globe.

September 02, 2010

Subject:

Dear Congressperson

Dear Congressperson,

I urge you to co-sponsor the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) a groundbreaking piece of legislation that would incorporate and make consistent efforts to reduce violence against women and girls in U.S. foreign assistance programs.

In addition to being an egregious human rights violation, violence against women is a cause of poverty and a huge barrier to women's economic opportunity - it can keep women from getting an education, working, and earning the income they need to lift their families out of poverty. Moreover, research has shown that giving women in poor countries economic opportunity empowers them to escape and prevent violent situations. In Kerala, India, for example, a study showed that only 7 percent of women who owned property suffered from physical violence, compared to 49 percent of women with no property.

The United Nations Development Fund for Women estimates that one in three women around the world will be beaten or abused in her lifetime. If the U.S. wants its efforts to reduce poverty to be as effective as possible, this has got to stop.

By promoting women's economic opportunity, addressing violence against girls in school, encouraging legal reform, working to change public attitudes, and supporting health programs and survivor services, especially in crisis situations, the I-VAWA could have a huge impact on improving the effectiveness of our foreign assistance programs and reducing poverty.

Women in poor countries already face enough barriers to lifting their families out of poverty. Violence should not be one of them. Please join us in supporting women's opportunity worldwide by co-sponsoring the International Violence Against Women Act.

Sincerely,

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