Protecting women: Honda, Boxer sponsor bills to help prevent violence against women around the world

By Ritu Sharma Special to the Mercury News

You've probably watched terrifying footage from Syria's protracted civil war. You may have read a gruesome account of the ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Or perhaps you scanned an online report of the devastation caused by the Sept. 23 earthquake in rural Pakistan. But not all of the damages from crises like these are so immediately obvious. The lives of women and girls are threatened not just in conflicts and disasters, but also in the desperate corners of refugee camps that many find themselves in after tragedy has struck.

Two pieces of legislation making their way through Congress aim to help these women. Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, is a lead sponsor of the Women, Peace and Security Act. This crucial piece of legislation would ensure that women and their needs are prioritized throughout the U.S. government's efforts to prevent and respond to conflicts and disasters -- as well as our peace-building activities.

In September, California Sen. Barbara Boxer pledged to reintroduce the International Violence Against Women Act -- a bill that would incorporate proven strategies to prevent and end violence against women into every international assistance program the U.S. government runs. An astounding 2 million Syrians who have fled the violence are now considered refugees. Three out of every 4 Syrians in refugee camps are women and children.

Violence against women and girls is, of course, not unique to refugee camps. According to the World Health Organization, more than a third of women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes. These numbers can skyrocket in the wake of disasters and conflicts like Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and other hot spots. When communities are uprooted by conflict, social connections break down. Families are sometimes separated, leaving mothers and daughters without the protection of their families and neighbors.

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24325172/protecting-women-honda-boxer-sponsor-bills-help-prevent