International Violence Against Women Act of 2014

Short title— This Act may be cited as the “International Violence Against Women Act of 2014”.

Table of contents— The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

An estimated 1 out of every 3 women throughout the world will be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime.

Up to 70 percent of women in some countries report having been victims of domestic violence at some stage in their lives.

Sexual violence among adolescents and pre-adolescents is alarmingly high. In 2010, the first nationally representative survey of violence against children in Tanzania found that nearly 3 in 10 females and 1 in 7 males experienced sexual violence prior to the age of 18.

The International Men and Gender Equality Survey dataset shows that adult male respondents in 6 countries who had experienced violence as children were significantly more likely to report perpetrating intimate partner violence themselves than their peers who did not experience violence as children.

Violence against women and girls impedes progress in meeting many United States global development goals, including efforts to stem maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Approximately 1 in 4 women are abused during pregnancy which has been linked to miscarriage, pre-term labor, low birth weight, fetal distress, and death.

Country studies indicate that the risk of HIV among women who have experienced violence may be up to 3 times higher than among those who have not. Women who have experienced violence are also at higher risk for contracting HIV, and women living with HIV may be up to 3 times more likely to experience violence than other women. Fear of violence also prevents women from accessing HIV/AIDS information and receiving treatment and counseling.

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) supports significant work in the field to mainstream gender-based violence into existing HIV programs. Addressing gender norms and inequities is essential to reducing HIV risk and increasing access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services for women and men.

Increasing women's access to economic opportunities and food security is crucial to preventing and responding to domestic and sexual violence. Inclusive finance and micro-enterprise reduce levels of intimate partner violence and provide economic independence for survivors.

Prevalence of sexual violence is higher among persons with disabilities, particularly for adolescents and intimate partners with disabilities, and for men and women with intellectual impairments living in institutions.

Displaced, refugee, and stateless women and girls in humanitarian emergencies, conflict settings, and natural disasters face extreme violence and threats, including—

Rape and sexual assault against women and girls are used to torture, intimidate, and terrorize women and their communities.

Early and forced marriage of the girl child—

World Bank data shows that gender inequality directly corresponds to increased levels of political and economic instability within States.

Domestic violence is the most prevalent form of violence against women and prevents women from playing more active roles in the social, economic, and political development of their communities. In humanitarian crises, this global scourge becomes acute, preventing women from helping to rebuild their countries.

to take effective action to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls around the world, as a matter of basic human rights as well as to promote gender equality, economic growth, and improved public health;

to systematically integrate and coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls internationally into United States foreign policy and foreign assistance programs, including peacebuilding efforts and humanitarian relief and recovery;

to support and build local capacity in developing countries, including of governments at all levels and nongovernmental organizations, especially women-led organizations, to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls;

to consult, cooperate, coordinate, and collaborate with a wide variety of nongovernmental partners with demonstrated experience in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls, including faith-based organizations and women-led organizations;

to employ a multisectoral approach to preventing and responding to violence against women and girls internationally, including activities in the economic, education, health, nutrition, legal, and judicial sectors;

to work at all levels, from the individual to the family, community, local, national and international levels, to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls around the globe;

to enhance training by United States personnel of professional foreign military and police forces and judicial officials to include specific and thorough instruction on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls around the world;

to engage men and boys as partners, as an essential element of making sustained reductions in violence against women and girls;

to include the prevention of early and forced marriage as an important part of United States Government efforts to prevent violence against girls and promote gender equality and global health;

to require that all United States contractors and grantees establish appropriate policies and take effective measures to prevent violence against women and girls and sexual exploitation and abuse within their workforce;

to exert sustained international leadership to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, including in bilateral and multilateral fora;

to implement the United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally; and

to implement the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security.