Tynika Featherstone

Gender Activism Plan

One of the major social issues affecting the world is violence against women.
This issue is
extremely important because it is largely ignored and normalized by the culture. It
is important for a
change to occur for the women of the world to feel safe and secure. Violence
against women and girls is
one of the worlds most pervasive human rights abuses with 1 out of every 3
women experiencing
violence during her lifetime. Women and girls around the world have the right to live
free from fear and
harm. Violence against women and girls is the definition of a cross-cutting issue that
affects womens
abilities to access the full spectrum of their human rights, such as accessing health
care, employment,
and education. It also destabilizes countries, impedes economic progress, and
prevents women from
contributing to their community, and creating better lives for themselves and their
families. One
organization that is taking significant strides to integrate gender based violence
prevention and
response efforts into all United States government programming overseas by
ensuring the U.S has a
strategy in place to do so, making ending violence against women and girls a
diplomatic and foreign
assistance priority for the United States is The International Violence Against
Women Act (IVAWA).

My plan of action will be to further raise awareness of the issue of violence

against women and
make my voice heard and demand that members of our congress commit to ending
violence against
women and girls across the globe. Violence against women doesnt stop in the
United States either, it

happens all over the globe. Although it has only recently been considered as a
health concern, it
deserves global attention alongside HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. I feel these are the
top 5 things the world
must do to reduce violence against women and girls. We can provide women with
access to legal
representation and opportunities to pursue justice against perpetrators of violence
through the formal
legal system, promote gender equality in schools and widen access to education for
girls; so that girls
that obtain higher levels of education become more likely to find employment and
become empowered
as a result of their financial contributions to the family and community, end forced
early marriage and
premature pregnancy; the leading cause of death of girls between 15-19 years of
age, bring greater

attention to violence that is perpetrated by a partner or spouse, revise marriage

laws that are
institutionally biased against women, particularly those that deny women custody
over their children,
inheritance, and land rights in cases of death, separation or divorce.

The benefits of this action plan have the potential to change the world for the
better. The
mission of this plan is to empower women, advance gender equality, and fight
poverty in the developing
world. Just as we believe that where you are born shouldnt dictate whether you live
or die, one is
equally adamant that your gender shouldnt determine whether or not you are able
to reach your full
potential. Promoting peace in our already corrupt world is a hard mission but we the
people must not
give up. From domestic abuse to human trafficking to rape as a weapon of war,
violence against women

is a gross violation against their human rights. Not only does it threaten womens
health and their social
and economic well-being, violence also thwarts global efforts to reduce poverty. If
the world does not
address the issue, it stands to suppress the enormous potential of women and girls.
When they feel safe,
when they are empowered, women and girls can be game changers. The catalyst
for the next great
innovation, the leaders of a more just world. The driving force behind stronger
economies.

The plan of action that I have provided includes raising awareness, making
our voices heard
about violence, empowerment, promoting volunteering and donating. There are
several programs that
take donations and volunteers to help get the voices of the people heard such as
The International
Violence against Women Act (IVAWA), The United Nations Foundations and various
other organizations
available. Those of us with the ability to make a difference and become active and
our voices heard to
decrease violence around the world should try to make it a priority to do so.

Cites
November 2014. Updated. World Health Organization. www.who.com
February 2015. UNICEF, Hidden in plain sight: A statististical analysis of violence
against children. UNICEF.com
www.feminist.com