MAKE CHANGE: International Violence Against Women Act

Amnesty International cites that "one out of every three women worldwide has been physically or sexually abused during her lifetime with rates of domestic violence reaching 70 percent in some countries." Currently, the International Violence Against Women (IVAWA) act is making its way through Congress.

Take action. Create difference. Provoke change. Pass the International Violence Against Women Act.

Global AIDS Alliance's Policy Director Lisa Schectman explains the importance of the bill, "IVAWA will provide strategic, technical and financial support to a set of focus countries with high prevalence of violence against women and girls, and will look for ways to build off existing programs that are failing due to experiences of violence had by those the programs are trying to serve. This bill provides for the most efficient and effective use of US taxpayer dollars for addressing violence; both the House and Senate are set to consider the bill in Committee in early September, and Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi must pave the way for IVAWA to reach the President’s desk this fall."

You can learn more about the bill at Women Thrive Worldwide, the Global AIDS Alliance action alert page, or UNIFEM's support I-VAWA page.

Photo credit: Women Thrive Worldwide