Call for Immediate Passage of the International Violence Against Women Act
WASHINGTON , Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Actor and human rights advocate Samantha Mathis today joined a strong coalition of faith leaders, survivors and advocates on Capitol Hill to call for immediate U.S. action to help end violence against women and girls globally. Pointing to recent headline-making incidents in Iran where a woman may face stoning for alleged adultery, and in Afghanistan where a woman was recently mutilated for trying to flee abuse in her home, speakers at the Capitol Hill event urged passage of the pending International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA – H.R. 4594/S.2982) before the November elections.
“I experienced the tragic consequences of violence and came face to face with the horror of brutal murders of women when I traveled to Guatemala with Amnesty International and met with the family members of victims,” Mathis said in her remarks. “We cannot stand by and tolerate horrific acts of violence any longer. The United States Congress has the opportunity to take action and stop the violence by passing the International Violence Against Women Act.”
