New Position Seen as Victory for Organization’s Efforts to Fight Global Violence Against Women
Meredith Larson, director of Amnesty International USA’s Stop Violence Against Women campaign, issued the following statement from Washington, DC, in response to the announcement of a new State Department appointment, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large on Global Women’s Issues:
“Amnesty International welcomes the creation of an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues. The creation of this position sends a strong message to the world that the United States, in its deliberations on foreign policy and foreign aid, will give top priority to issues that affect women. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should be applauded for this key position, announced in advance of International Women’s Day.
“For several years, Amnesty International has been advocating for the creation of a high-level position in the State Department to focus on women’s issues worldwide, especially violence against women and girls. The position was defined in the International Violence Against Women Act, a major part of Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women campaign.
“As an organization, Amnesty International is grateful that the Obama administration has taken this important step to help women. This is a tremendous victory for our efforts,” said Larson.
“Worldwide, violence and abuse affects an estimated one of every three women. Violence is a fact of life for millions of women and must be addressed in a comprehensive way. Violence against women, in addition to causing horrific suffering, leads to dire economic consequences in societies around the world as women struggle to provide for their families under painful and difficult circumstances.”
Amnesty International is advocating re-introduction in Congress of the International Violence Against Women Act, a comprehensive five-year strategy to reduce violence against women and girls globally. The bill would integrate violence prevention programming into current foreign assistance activities.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
Please visit www.amnestyusa.org for more information.