Contact: Sharon Singh, [email protected], 202-675-8579, @spksingh
(Washington, DC) — Cristina Finch, director of Amnesty International USA's Women's Human Rights program, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Violence Against Women Act this afternoon:
"Today, the Senate made ending violence against women a priority and took action to pass an inclusive, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that includes provisions to expand protections to Native American and Alaska Native women, immigrant women and LGBT individuals. Reauthorization of this critical legislation has been delayed for far too long.
"The House must now follow the Senate's bipartisan example by putting partisan politics aside and passing an inclusive VAWA that supports and protects all individuals and communities. Amnesty International joins the VAWA community in urging House leadership to swiftly bring S.47 to the House floor for a vote."
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.