United States: White House Announces New Strategy to Combat Gender-Based Violence Globally
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 1:55 PM

The Obama administration announced a new strategy aimed at ending gender-based violence worldwide on August 10, 2012.  Developed by the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally will direct U.S. foreign policy and international assistance toward the goal of ending the global epidemic of gender-based violence.

As a core initiative of the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), the strategy seeks to work against violence on multiple fronts, including the legal, economic development, security, social services, health care, and education sectors.  According to the Overview, “The purpose of the strategy is to establish a government-wide approach that identifies, coordinates, integrates, and leverages current efforts and resources.”
 
Lynn Rosenthal, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, moderated a panel to discuss women’s issues at an event organized to announce and release the new strategy.  Meanwhile, President Obama issued an Executive Order on August 10, 2012 instructing all government agencies to implement this strategy and encouraging independent agencies to comply as well.  The order also establishes and Interagency Working Group to address violence against women.

Compiled from: “Big News: White House Launches Global GBV Strategy,” Women Thrive Worldwide/Futures without Violence/Amnesty International USA, (13 August 2012).