United Church of Christ - Stand in solidarity with women & children around the world!

Stand in solidarity with women & children around the world!

Earlier this year the Senate re-introduced the bipartisan International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), as strong support continues to grow on both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives following its successful reintroduction late last year. IVAWA is critical legislation that will support on-the-ground efforts around the world to reduce violence against women and girls. Today in Washington, DC, advocates are meeting with legislators to increase support for the bill, but we need your help.

Please take a moment to ask your Members of Congress to support this important bill.

Time and again we see global crises that demand action, such as the kidnapping of 300 Nigerian school girls earlier this year. We know that such acts are part of a larger global crisis in which gender-based-violence (GBV) occurs daily all around the world. It is estimated that one out of every three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual abuse during her lifetime, with rates reaching 70 percent in some countries. Such violence includes rape, domestic violence, human trafficking, honor killings, child marriage, and genital mutilation. Girls are denied access to education, the political and economic rights of women and girls are oppressed, and women and girls are used as tools of war. GBV is a human rights violation, a public health epidemic, and a barrier to addressing broader global challenges such as extreme poverty and hunger, HIV/AIDS, and international conflict.

Fortunately, you can advocate for a proactive approach that will help make the world safer for women and girls.

IVAWA would make ending violence against women and girls a top diplomatic and foreign assistance priority, providing essential support for proven strategies to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. It will streamline and better synchronize programming across various U.S. government agencies, making addressing GBV a cornerstone of U.S. development and foreign policy. Specifically, IVAWA is a multi-pronged approach that would:

Increase economic opportunity and education for women and girls;
Strengthen legal and judicial protection to address violence against women and girls;
Increase health sector capacity to address GBV by integrating GBV programs into already existing health programs;
Support public awareness programs to change attitudes that condone and encourage violence against women and girls, emphasizing community-based solutions.

We know that our faith compels us to reach for more holistic and sustained solutions to end GBV, which takes place with alarming frequency, often without the world’s notice. We know too that as advocates we must prevent such acts of violence by comprehensively working to empower women and girls globally.

Join us in speaking out in solidarity with women and children who suffer violence throughout the world.

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Dear [Decision Maker],

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As a person of faith, I cannot remain silent as violence continues to take a devastating toll on women and girls around the world.  Reports show that one out of every three women worldwide will be physically, sexually or otherwise abused in her lifetime.  Girls are denied access to education, the political and economic rights of women and girls are oppressed, and women and girls are used as tools of war.

Violence against women is embedded in social and political inequities and cultural practices, and therefore requires a comprehensive, multilayer approach to violence prevention and response. The bipartisan International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA; H.R. 3571/S. 2307) is a meaningful step toward addressing the global epidemic of violence against women.  I urge you to cosponsor and support passage of I-VAWA.

The International Violence Against Women Act, reintroduced last year in the House and this year in the Senate with strong bipartisan support, would address violence against women and girls through legal and judicial reform, expanded economic and educational opportunities, improved access to health services, and strengthened efforts to prevent violence against women and girls in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis.  It will serve to link violence response and prevention with foreign assistance programs, including development assistance, humanitarian aid, global health services and peacekeeping efforts. Most importantly, it helps to streamline and integrate the most effective initiatives the U.S. government already uses to address gender-based violence.

Violence against women and girls devastates families and communities around the world.  All of us are diminished by the perpetuation of violence.  I urge you to take this important and critically-needed step toward ending violence against women and girls by cosponsoring and supporting I-VAWA.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this fundamental human rights issue.  I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]