(New York) - Congress should quickly approve a bipartisan bill introduced today that sets out a new strategy for US engagement in the struggle to end violence against women worldwide, Human Rights Watch said.
The draft International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) would require the State Department to design a five-year plan to reduce violence against women in target countries. The approach calls for efforts to increase legal and judicial protections against violence; strengthen health services to respond to violence; increase educational and economic opportunities for women; and change social norms that perpetuate violence against women. Special attention is given to responding to violence against women in the context of humanitarian disasters and conflict situations.
"The odds are stacked against women in many spheres," said Meghan Rhoad, researcher in the Women's Rights division at Human Rights Watch. "This bill is a chance for changes that will make a real difference."
The bill was introduced today in both houses of Congress. Lead sponsors in the Senate are John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts; Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California; and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Republicans of Maine. In the House of Representatives, lead sponsors are Bill Delahunt, Democrat of Massachusetts; Ted Poe, Republican of Texas; and Jan Schakowsky, Democrat of Illinois.
The United Nations estimates that one of every three women in the world has been a victim of violence. Human Rights Watch reports have documented rampant violence against women, both in conflict situations and in women's homes and workplaces throughout the world. Much of the violence goes unpunished, especially where insufficient legal protections are compounded by poor enforcement. Recent Human Rights Watch investigations exposed rapes carried out by security forces in Guinea in September 2009, and continuing violations of women's rights, including high levels of domestic violence and forced marriage, in Afghanistan.
"It is exciting to see a bill that holds so much promise for tackling an issue that has inflicted tremendous suffering and undermined economic and social development around the globe," said Rhoad. "It's now up to Congress to move this bill forward."
The bill would complement the Violence Against Women Act, which addresses these issues within the United States. Similar legislation was introduced, but not voted on, in the last Congress.
