International Women’s Day 2013

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This morning I arose and knowing it was International Women’s Day 2013, I wanted to share some of the events of this past week, which I think were worthy of approbation. On March 7, 2013, President Barack Obama signed into law, the reauthorization bill of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which also included within, the Trafficking Victims Reauthorization Act (TVRA). On 06 March, I wrote,
Human Trafficking – TVPRA in President Obama’s Hands in which I urged President Obama to sign into law the VAWA and TVRA.
Video: President Obama signs the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization

I think we universally understand violence is to be avoided in today’s society, yet we see it continues across all societies, no country is immune. And what is the cost? You have the obvious toll on the individual, and the associated health care and treatment. But let’s look beyond that, let’s look at the economic cost. In a World Bank study conducted in 1993 estimated that more than 9 million disability adjusted man-years were lost to “intimate partner violence” alone. That same year, the CDC put the dollar cost at $5.8 billion based on 5.3 million victims.

Lets fast forward 20 years.

On 7 March 2013, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) published a piece: Viewpoint: The price of violence against women and girls written by the managing director of the World Bank, Carolyn Antsey. In her piece she notes how in Ethiopia 81% of the women think there are plenty of reasons why a husband can beat their wife; While in Guinea, 60% of women believe it reasonable that their spouses beat them for saying no to sex. But the economic cost was staggering. In Vietnam, for example, a study by UN Women looked not only at women’s loss of earnings, and out of pocket expenses – for medical treatment, police support, legal aid, counselling and judicial support – but also at lost school fees, with children missing school due to the violence inflicted on their mothers. The cost? Nearly 1.4% of Vietnam’s GDP. Change is no longer an option, change is a must. This is not a domestic issue, it is a national; global issue.

Which brings me back to International Women’s Day – the day is celebrated across the globe. Join in, celebrate our women. Without one none of us would be present today.

What can you do? Support any number of non-profit organizations which are actively trying to give the tools of independence to women in need. One such organization is “Women With Drive Foundation“, which is championed by the indefatigable Molly Cantrell-Kraig – this organization strives to “Jump Start a Woman’s Future”