Voters Want US to Make Stopping Violence A Priority

It is fitting that on the first day of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month the president of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Esta Soler, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on new research (pdf) which found that voters want the U.S. to make stopping violence against women and girls worldwide a priority in diplomacy, aid.

She stressed the importance of introducing and passing the International Violence Against Women Act (VAWA-I).

From the press release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today one of the nation's leading violence prevention experts testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, releasing research which finds that the majority of U.S. voters (61 percent) say addressing global violence should be one of the top priorities for the U.S. government. One in four voters says it should be the top priority. This issue is a high priority for voters, even when compared to other issues like promoting democracy and trade, fighting corruption abroad, and reconstructing Iraq and Afghanistan, Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) President Esta Soler said.

The VAWA-I is expected to be re-introduced in both the Senate and the House in coming weeks. I encourage all my readers who live in the US to contact your senators and your US representative to let them know you support VAWA-I.

Our voices do matter.