By Senator Leland Yee
The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), currently pending in US Congress, would task the US Agency for International Development and the Department of State to develop strategies and direct resources to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls throughout the world. The Act would include collecting data and conducting research about violence prevention efforts, enhance training of military and police forces on violence against women, and authorize $5,000,000 to support the United Nations’ efforts to eliminate violence against women.
This is why I have authored Senate Joint Resolution 24 urging Congress to pass IVAWA. Violence against women is rooted in many causes and takes many forms throughout all parts of the world. It is imperative that while we attempt to end violence against women in our own communities, we support global efforts to combat this injustice everywhere. SJR 24 will send a very clear message to Washington: ending and preventing violence against women should be a priority of our foreign policy.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in three women in the world will experience violence in her lifetime, and one in five of the women in the world will be the victim of rape or attempted rape. A United Nations study on the global AIDS epidemic found that in sub-Saharan Africa, women who are 15 to 24 years of age can be infected at rates that are up to six times higher than men of the same age.
Violence against women is an impediment to the health, opportunity, and development of not only women, but has an enormous, negative impact on the well-being of their children and the greater society. Violence against women impoverishes women, their families, their communities and nations. It lowers economic production, drains resources from public services and employers, and reduces human capital formation.
Greater gender equality has been proved to lead to improved nutrition, lower child mortality, less government corruption, higher productivity, and reduced HIV infection rates. Increased access to economic opportunities is crucial to the prevention of and response to domestic and sexual violence. Campaigns to change social norms, including community organizing, media campaigns, and efforts to engage and educate men and boys, have been shown to change attitudes that condone and tolerate violence against women and girls and reduce violence and abuse.
According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID): 70 percent of people worldwide living in poverty are women and children, two-thirds of the illiterate adults in the world are women, two-thirds of school-aged children who are not in school are girls, more than three-quarters of the refugees in the world are women and children, and 1,600 women die unnecessarily every day during pregnancy and childbirth.
In addition to SJR 24, I have introduced two additional bills to assist victims of domestic violence. SB 662 would increase marriage license fees by $10 to provide an additional $2.5 million to $5 million annually for domestic violence shelters. SB 782 would prevent landlords from unfairly evicting victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
I am also leading a statewide effort, called the “White Ribbon Campaign,” for men to speak out against violence against women. Individuals interested in joining the White Ribbon Campaign are encouraged to visit my website at www.senate.ca.gov/yee.
The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), currently pending in US Congress, would task the US Agency for International Development and the Department of State to develop strategies and direct resources to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls throughout the world. The Act would include collecting data and conducting research about violence prevention efforts, enhance training of military and police forces on violence against women, and authorize $5,000,000 to support the United Nations’ efforts to eliminate violence against women.
This is why I have authored Senate Joint Resolution 24 urging Congress to pass IVAWA. Violence against women is rooted in many causes and takes many forms throughout all parts of the world. It is imperative that while we attempt to end violence against women in our own communities, we support global efforts to combat this injustice everywhere. SJR 24 will send a very clear message to Washington: ending and preventing violence against women should be a priority of our foreign policy.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in three women in the world will experience violence in her lifetime, and one in five of the women in the world will be the victim of rape or attempted rape. A United Nations study on the global AIDS epidemic found that in sub-Saharan Africa, women who are 15 to 24 years of age can be infected at rates that are up to six times higher than men of the same age.
Violence against women is an impediment to the health, opportunity, and development of not only women, but has an enormous, negative impact on the well-being of their children and the greater society. Violence against women impoverishes women, their families, their communities and nations. It lowers economic production, drains resources from public services and employers, and reduces human capital formation.
Greater gender equality has been proved to lead to improved nutrition, lower child mortality, less government corruption, higher productivity, and reduced HIV infection rates. Increased access to economic opportunities is crucial to the prevention of and response to domestic and sexual violence. Campaigns to change social norms, including community organizing, media campaigns, and efforts to engage and educate men and boys, have been shown to change attitudes that condone and tolerate violence against women and girls and reduce violence and abuse.
According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID): 70 percent of people worldwide living in poverty are women and children, two-thirds of the illiterate adults in the world are women, two-thirds of school-aged children who are not in school are girls, more than three-quarters of the refugees in the world are women and children, and 1,600 women die unnecessarily every day during pregnancy and childbirth.
In addition to SJR 24, I have introduced two additional bills to assist victims of domestic violence. SB 662 would increase marriage license fees by $10 to provide an additional $2.5 million to $5 million annually for domestic violence shelters. SB 782 would prevent landlords from unfairly evicting victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
I am also leading a statewide effort, called the “White Ribbon Campaign,” for men to speak out against violence against women. Individuals interested in joining the White Ribbon Campaign are encouraged to visit my website at www.senate.ca.gov/yee.
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