Women Thrive Worldwide

The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA)

Last Updated Friday, 01 October 2010

Read more about legislation to help end violence against women worldwide.

Imagine a world where bruises and broken bones no longer keep mothers from caring for their children...

Imagine a world where girls can get an education without being abused on their walk to school...

Imagine a world where women can go to work without fearing violence in the work place....

Imagine a world without violence against women.

Photo Credit: Boaz Rottem, boazimages.com

With your help this world can be a reality. Support the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA - H.R.
4594, S. 2982) today!

Take Action: Send a Message to Congress! | About IVAWA | Violence Against Women and Poverty: The
Link | Resources | Activist Toolkit

Click here to hear an audio press conference call by actress and humanitarian Ashley Judd in support of IVAWA.

On July 22, 2010 the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) and Women Thrive Worldwide began a powerful print
and banner ad campaign in Politico to urge Congress to pass the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)
this year. Check out the ad here.
Every day around the world a war is waged against women and girls, taking millions of lives and causing terrible
suffering. Approximately one out of every three women globally has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused
in her lifetime. Violence against women includes abuse by spouses or partners in the home, rape as a weapon during
wartime, dowry related deaths and forced prostitution. The distress and injuries caused affects families, communities and
wider societies, preventing women from taking full advantage of economic and educational opportunities and threatening
security by increasing social tensions. Violence against women is a global health crisis, an egregious human rights
violation, and a moral outrage that knows no geographic or cultural barriers.

What many people don't realize, however, is that violence against women is also a major cause of poverty. Violence
keeps women from getting an education, working, and earning the income they need to lift themselves and their families
out of poverty. And research shows that giving women in poor countries economic opportunity empowers them to escape
abusive situations.

About IVAWA: The good news is that violence against women is preventable and that there are proven solutions that
work. The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA - H.R. 4594, S. 2982), if passed, would for the first time
comprehensively incorporate these solutions into all U.S. foreign assistance programs - solutions such as promoting
women's economic opportunity, addressing violence against girls in school, and working to change public attitudes.
Among other things, the IVAWA would make ending violence against women a diplomatic priority for the first time in U.S.
history. It would require the U.S. government to respond to critical outbreaks of gender-based violence in armed conflict -
such as the mass rapes now occuring in the Democratic Republic of Congo - in a timely manner. And by investing in
local women's organizations overseas that are succesfully working to reduce violence in their communities, the IVAWA
would have a huge impact on reducing poverty - empowering millions of women in poor countries to lift themselves, their
families, and their communities out of poverty. Take Action: Send a message to Congress!

The IVAWA (H.R. 4594, S. 2982), which was also introduced in the House and the Senate during the last
Congress, was reintroduced on February 4, 2010 by Congressman Delahunt (D-MA), Congressman Poe (R-TX), and
Congresswoman Schakowsky (D-IL) with other members and Senator Kerry (D-MA), Senator Snowe (R-ME), Senator
Boxer (D-CA) and Senator Collins (R-ME) with other Senators. (See these links for lists of all the IVAWA sponsors in the
House and Senate.) It was developed by lead Congressional sponsors in conjunction with Women Thrive Worldwide,
Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), and the help of organizational
partners. It is the result of extensive research on what works: 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. Finally, it is the centerpiece
of a nation-wide campaign led by Women Thrive Worldwide, AIUSA, and FVPF to end violence against women
worldwide. Help Pass the IVAWA: Send a Message to Congress Today!
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 Women Thrive Worldwide

Violence Against Women and Poverty: The Link

Violence prevents women from:

- Working: Violence reduces a woman's ability to work and provide for her family. In India, for example, a survey
revealed that women who experienced even a single incident of violence lost an average of seven working days.
- Staying at Work: In Kenya, 95 percent of the women who had experienced sexual abuse in their workplace were afraid
to report the problem for fear of losing their jobs.
- Getting an Education: Research shows that violence against women - including sexual assault, intimidation, and abuse
- takes place in schools. Girls who are exposed to or experience violence are less likely to complete their education. A
study in Nicaragua found that children of female victims of violence left school an average of four years earlier than other
children.
- Building Strong Communities: Women who experience violence are less able to benefit from and contribute to healthy
communities.
How Economic Opportunity Can Prevent Violence Against Women: Women who have economic options
experience less violence. Owning property, for example, can give women greater bargaining power within households
and protect them against domestic violence. 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.
Resources and Activist Tools

For Organizations and Activists: IVAWA Activist Toolkit

- The IVAWA "You Have the Power" Flyer

- The IVAWA Action Sheet: A Roadmap for Taking Action

- Take Action: Send a Message to Congress!

- Write your Senators and Representative

- Write a Letter to the Editor
- Sample Op Ed about IVAWA
- For Organizations and Groups: Sample Email to Supporters

- Blog About IVAWA: Sample Post

- Mobilize Your Friends

- Download the IVAWA Button

- Business Community Letter
Facts & General Resources

- Outline of the IVAWA Bill

- Poverty and Violence Against Women Fact Sheet (2009)

- Key Statistics About Violence Against Women (2007)

- Current list of House sponsors
- Current list of Senate sponsors
- Members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

- NGO endorsements as of September 2010

- "Rape As a Weapon of War" - Women Thrive's Testimony to Congress on Rape in Armed Conflicts
- Letter of support from the Women, Faith, and Development Alliance

Take Action Today: Send a Message to Congress!

Support Our Work to End Violence Against Women

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