WASHINGTON (RPRN) 7/17/2009–Right now, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are gathering to determine whether a new, federal office dedicated to defending women’s human rights will become permanent.An upcoming vote could derail our recent success in moving this process forward. Opposition groups are once again beginning to swarm – spreading misinformation about what it is the Office for Global Women’s Issues would even do!
Last month, we successfully challenged these groups and the House of Representatives sided with us. The House passed a bill that would create a permanent office in the State Department that aims to improve the economic, educational and social well-being of women around the world. This office is a key provision of the International Violence Against Women Act, legislation that you and I have been fighting for two years to pass.
We are so close we can almost read the headlines – Historic Bill Creates New Opportunities for Women Worldwide. Help us set the record straight in the Senate – women’s human rights deserve to be protected! Call on members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to defend women’s human rights.
Women around the world would benefit from the office’s mission to:
- Build economic stability and reduce poverty in countries with large gender gaps
- Advance the global fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other health crises, and
- Push the United States to finally take a leadership role in the fight to end violence against women and girls globally
We can make a difference in this important work, but first thing’s first. Email the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and tell them that you support an Office for Global Women’s Issues.
Above all else, this is a human rights issue. Women deserve a fair chance at creating a better life for themselves and their loved ones.
Now more than ever we need to show that we stand in their corner.
Thanks for your support,
Meredith, Katie and the rest of the Stop Violence Against Women team