International Women's Day 2013

International Women’s Day 2013

March 8, 2013, International Women’s Day – President Barack Obama recently signed into law the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization, which also contained the Trafficking Victims Protection Act Reauthorization. No country is immune to Violence Against Women. In Ethiopia, 81% of the women believe it appropriate for a husband to beat their wife, while in Guinea, 60% believe it reasonable for a wife to be beaten for saying no to sex; and in Vietnam, a recent study demonstrated that true cost of violence against women was costing the country nearly 1.4% of its GDP.

Hunger: Together the US and Brazil can make a difference

Kudos to President Obama of the United States and President Dilma Vana Rousseff of Brazil for their discussion of jointly addressing global food security issues during President Obama’s recent visit to Brazil. As my readers know, I am a strong advocate of eradicating hunger in a world where abundance of food is a reality and the issues lay within the ability to distribute…

While lacking visibiilty into the discussions in Brazil which occurred, I am hopeful that President Rousseff highlighted the initiative of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, (her hometown) where the municipality has outlawed hunger, rendering it illegal – successfully (see my piece, Hunger Should be Illegal). This model needs to be replicated and replicated widely.