CARE Applauds International Violence Against Women Act (2013)

ATLANTA (Nov. 21, 2013) — CARE USA hailed the introduction today of H.R. 3571, the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Chris Gibson (R-NY) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). This bipartisan legislation aims to make ending gender-based violence (GBV) a top diplomatic priority of the United States. IVAWA will require the Secretary of State to implement a comprehensive interagency strategy to address GBV and raise the profile of efforts to halt violence against women within the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

As many as one in every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex or abused in some other way – most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another male family member. This violence leaves survivors with long-term psychological and physical trauma, tears away at the social fabric of communities and is used with terrifying effect in conflict settings, with women as the main target.

“Violence against women is sadly happening at epidemic proportions around the world,” said David Ray, CARE USA’s head of policy and advocacy. “At CARE we have witnessed both the suffering experienced by survivors of unspeakable violence, as well as the cost to valuable U.S. investments in health, education, economic empowerment and food security. The International Violence Against Women Act is an important tool for the U.S. as it works to combat gender-based violence and will help to support the ongoing efforts of countless advocates and activists in the 84 countries where CARE operates.”

About CARE: Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year CARE worked in 84 countries and reached more than 83 million people around the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org.

Resources

A Safer Zambia (ASAZA)

Tackling gender based violence in Zambia by expanding access to quality comprehensive services and promoting gender equality

Infographic – Addressing Social Norms to Prevent Gender Based Violence – Printer Friendly Version

Infographic – Addressing Social Norms to Prevent Gender Based Violence

Beer Selling Industry Cambodia

BSIC is improving the health, safety and working conditions of beer promoters by setting industry standards.

CRITICAL DIAGNOSIS

The Case for Placing South Sudan’s Healthcare System at the Heart of the Humanitarian Response

Guidance for GBV Monitoring and Mitigation in Non-GBV Sectoral Programming

This document aims to address the increasing demand for clear guidance on how to practically and ethically monitor and mitigate gender-based violence (GBV) within non-emergency, international development programming, in which GBV is not a specific programmatic component. Specifically, it draws on existing GBV-related guidance, as well as input from a group of experts, to provide recommendations for preventing and/or responding to unintentional risk, threat, or violence against individuals related to programmatic interventions. These recommendations describe ways to take stock of the programmatic environment with regard to GBV in general, as well as targeted suggestions on how to track GBV-related incidents and issues throughout the program cycle.

Journeys of Transformation: A Training Manual

This 88-page manual describes CARE's work in Rwanda on engaging men as allies in women's economic empowerment.

To Be Well At Heart

A CARE-authored article in the War and Trauma foundation that deals with the impacts of conflict on women's well-being and how working...

Brief: Intergenerational Transmission of GBV in Education

This 5 page brief discusses what we know about GBV in education and how childhood exposure to GBV impacts behavior later in life. It...

Report: Intergenerational Transmission of GBV

This 28 page report describes a literature review of what we know about preventing GBV in educational settings, as well as key...

TESFA Brief

TESFA is a 3 year project funded by the Nike Foundation that works to improve economic, and sexual and reproductive health outcomes for...

Young Men’s Initiative Executive Summary

See the brief summary of our findings from engaging men and boys in the Balkans.

Young Men’s Initiative

Read about the Young Men's Initiative in the Balkans and what we're learning about how working with men and boys can lead to women's equality in families and communities.

Strengthening Women’s Voice

Outlines the major findings of the Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC from 2009 to 2013.

Challenging Gender-based Violence Worldwide: CARE’s Program Evidence

Stategies, Results and Impacts of Evaluations 2011 - 2013

CARE International Policy Position on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict

CARE calls for action during the Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London, June 2014.

‘THE GIRL HAS NO RIGHTS’

This 12 page report on Gender-Based Violence in South Sudan, from May 2014, provides the results of interviews and research CARE is...

Issue Brief 2014 Bringing an End to Gender-Based Violence

DRC, Micro-Savings and Survivors of Violence

Village savings and loans groups within a holistic socio-economic approach to helping survivors of sexual and other forms of gender...

The Syrian Humanitarian Crisis: Raising the Profile of Women and Girls

We call on donor governments to address the specific needs of women and girls affected by the crisis in Syria.

Understanding the Cost of Gender-Based Violence and the Importance of Engaging Men and Boys

Bangladesh faces one of the highest rates of domestic violence worldwide.

Knowledge on Fire:

Attacks on Education in Afghanistan

Program Brief | CARE’s Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence

Policy Brief | The Abatangamuco:

Engaging Men for Women’s Empowerment in Burundi

Gender-Based Violence:

An Advocacy Guide for Grassroots Activists in Burundi

Exploring Dimensions of Masculinity and Violence

One-Stop Model of Support for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

Lessons From CARE Zambia

CARE’s Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence

Preventing and responding to GBV is an integral part of CARE’s commitment to promoting gender equality and ending poverty.

Stories of Harassment, Violence and Discrimination

Migrant experiences between India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The Empower Project

From 2007-2012, CARE International in Benin, implemented a project called EMPOWER—Enabling Mobilization and Policy Implementation for Women’s Rights. This project, funded by the US government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) aimed to galvanize a national response to GBV by strengthening support services for survivors and improving policies and laws on gender-based violence and women’s rights more broadly. This brief highlights the experiences and lessons learned from the advocacy and social mobilization work done through this project to rally support for passage of a new anti-GBV law and to increase access to assistance for survivors.

Haiti Earthquake: Three Year Report

Three years after the worst earthquake in Haiti’s history, the massive task of recovery and reconstruction continues.

CARE Applauds Introduction of International Violence Against Women Act (2013)