Senator Taylor Endorses “International Violence Against Women Act”
News | November 13, 2013
Wisconsin State Senator Lena C. Taylor explained the benefits of passing the “International Violence Against Women Act” through Congress in an editorial in the Milwaukee Courier. Taylor participated in the “Partnership to Strengthen Women’s Political Empowerment and to Advance the Role of Women in Peace and Security” conference sponsored by EWI’s Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention (PNCP) and the Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) earlier this year.
In her editorial, Taylor explains: “During the conference, we talked about a number of pressing issues; we identified the issue of violence against women worldwide as one of our greatest concerns. Collectively, we agreed on the importance of continuing effort to pass The International Violence Against Women Act, a proposed piece of legislation that would for the first time place gender-based violence at the center of the U.S. foreign policy and international aid agenda. Thankfully, the Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls Globally is pushing Congress to reintroduce and pass this vital legislation in 2013.”
Taylor goes on to describe the global importance of the legislation, should it pass. “From Afghanistan and Mexico to India and the United States, violence against women destabilizes families and communities, blocks economic progress, and undermines women’s efforts to create better lives for themselves and their families…If passed, the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) would establish gender-based violence prevention programs and create a response lens through which the U.S. government’s foreign aid could be redistributed to better respond to and ultimately reduce levels of violence against women internationally.”