Friday, July 25, 2008

Support I-VAWA (by Suzie)

The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) is an unprecedented effort by the United States to address violence against women globally. It directs the U.S. government to create a comprehensive, 5-year strategy to reduce violence in 10-20 diverse countries identified as having severe levels of violence against women.
          This comes from Amnesty International, which has ways to take action. Here’s a Washington Post article on the subject.
          I-VAWA needs your help because men’s rights activists and other conservatives are marshaling forces against it. Here's an example. The basic arguments: We don't need an international version of VAWA, which has broken up families in the United States. Violence against U.S. women is overblown, but the system is biased against men. It gives financial incentives to women to report men, and then law enforcement reacts aggressively, “even when a brief cooling-off period will suffice” or the woman has lied about violence. Women get divorced and get custody of their children, perhaps not even allowing fathers to visit. Many men don’t want to marry anymore because they fear false accusations of domestic violence. In the end, children suffer because they need two-parent families.
            As Twisty might say, I don't want no MRAs arguing with me. If you don't know the facts, visit the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence or read today's article by Marie Tessier.