Oxfam America praised today’s introduction of the International Violence Against Women Act of 2019 in the US House of Representatives and urged both the House and Senate to pass it. In response, Aria Grabowski, Oxfam America’s Senior Policy Advisor aid and development finance, made the following statement:
“In a world where one in three women experiences violence, where more than 137 women are murdered by a partner or family member each day, and where 650 million girls were married before age 18, we welcome this piece of legislation that says ENOUGH. At the start of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, we applaud the Bill’s sponsors and cosponsors and join them in support of the International Violence Against Women Act, a comprehensive US response to ending violence against women and girls globally.
“The International Violence Against Women Act is a critical piece of legislation that works to ensure that the US’s foreign policy and foreign assistance programs take action to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and systematically integrate efforts as a matter of human rights, while acknowledging it is key to a nation’s growth and prosperity.
“The bill addresses gender-based violence and requires that training, prevention, and response to violence against women and girls be included in US efforts in the areas of humanitarian relief, conflict, post-conflict and disaster relief programs. It also acknowledges and addresses the cross-cutting, multi-layered components of the massive problem of gender based violence, by mandating a comprehensive strategy and implementation plan with accountability mechanism to address the root causes and have comprehensive responses to violence against women and girls.
“Gender based violence not only devastates lives, it also undermines development efforts, can result in girls leaving school earlier, and keeps women and girls from reaching their full potential. This bill works to transform the system to ensure the potential of women and girls is not minimized through violence, which keeps them in positions of inequality the world over.
“We are grateful for the leadership of Congresswoman Schakowsky (D-IL) and all the cosponsors of this bill who are working to make sure that the United States stands collectively against the injustice of violence against women and girls. We call on all members Congress to join us in saying ENOUGH, and swiftly pass this legislation.”
