October 1 – Presiding Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry (D-MA) joined Senators Ted Kaufman (D-DE) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in holding a hearing entitled ‘Violence Against Women: Global Costs and Consequences’, marking “the first time that violence against women, on a global scale, has been the subject of a hearing of the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” Senator Kerry said. On this “ground-breaking occasion,” as described by the Chairman, Senator Kerry announced that he plans to introduce the ‘International Violence Against Women Act’ (IVAWA). This bill intends to extend the principles of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a bill with domestic focus passed in 1994, to the global sphere. Kerry explained:

“[IVAWA is] designed to put the machinery of our government to work on reducing global violence against women.”

Testimonies were heard from two panels, the first of which included Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer and Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen Rapp. In her comments, Ambassador Verveer insisted, “the momentum is building for us to be able to make a clear and concrete difference in the lives of women and girls who are affected by gender-based violence.” Ambassador Rapp spoke on violence perpetrated against women and girls in conflict zones, suggesting that “internationalized mechanisms” are needed for prevention efforts and stating adamantly, “rape itself can be an act of genocide.”

The second panel consisted of various experts including Major General Patrick Cammaert, Deputy President of the International Crisis Group Donald Steinberg, President of the International Center for Research on Women Dr. Geeta Gupta, and President and Founder of the Family Violence Prevention Fund Esta Soler. Major General Cammaert, who has firsthand witnessed the brutality in conflict regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, said that sexual violence is “cheaper than bullets, more silent than bombs,” and thus increasingly a choice tactic for warring rebels. Mr. Steinberg shared his experience of peace negotiations in Angola, expressly stating that peace agreements have and will continue to fail if women are not included in peacebuilding processes. Dr. Gupta and Ms. Soler both noted the critical importance of engaging men and boys in a global effort to eradicate violence against women and girls. Domestic initiatives such as Coaching Boys into Men, which has proved very effective, must be scaled-up as part of a global commitment, said the experts. Ms. Soler urged that it is essential that a comprehensive, cohesive plan be implemented to address violence against women:

“It is time for a bold and transformative initiative…violence against women is an emergency every day.”

Senator Boxer said that while there remains a great deal of work to be done to eradicate violence against women worldwide, there are significant steps being taken by members of Congress and the current administration, citing the unanimous passing of UN Security Council Resolution 1888 calling for an end to sexual violence as a tactic of war. Senator Kaufman echoed Senator Kerry’s insistence that it is now “necessary to exert moral, value-based leadership” on the issue of violence against women, commenting himself that “a more effective, united” effort is needed if the United States is to remain that “shining city upon a hill.”