News and events

Senate PEPFAR Reauthorization Bill Moves Closer to Helping Women, Girls

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved legislation March 13 to reauthorize the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, to $50 billion for fiscal years 2009 to 2013, which will significantly bolster the reach and effectiveness of the U.S. global AIDS program.

ICRW commends the Senate for including provisions to strengthen PEPFAR’s priority to women and girls and laying out stronger measures to hold PEPFAR accountable for the gender focus. ICRW also applauds the Senate committee’s decision to eliminate the requirement that one-third of funds be directed toward programs promoting “abstinence and be faithful” behavior, which will allow countries more flexiblity to tailor prevention efforts to local needs.

Nevertheless, ICRW is disappointed that the Senate committee remained silent on the important issue of integrating HIV/AIDS information and services into family planning programs and retained the requirement that PEPFAR recipients pledge their opposition to prostitution.

Read ICRW's full position statement.

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Solutions Exist to Reduce Gender-Based Violence, Experts Tell Congress
Stopping Violence Key to Reducing HIV Spread

Congress can play a key role in helping to curb two crucial health issues for women  — gender-based violence and HIV infection — by passing the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) and integrating gender concerns into the reauthorization of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), according to experts who spoke Jan. 24 at a congressional briefing.

Panelists from ICRW, PATH and the Family Violence Prevention Fund shared with a standing-room only audience the links between violence against women and the HIV epidemic, and highlighted successful programs currently being used to address the twin pandemics, such as the Stepping Stones project in India. In that project, the community was able to combine community participatory strategies, legal reform and efforts to improve women's access to medical services to makes gains against both gender-based violence and HIV.

According to the World Health Organization, one in three women will experience violence in her lifetime, including rape, assault, forced marriage or harmful practices such as female genital mutilation. One of the potential consequences of this violence is HIV infection, with women now the fastest growing group in that epidemic, largely as a result of sexual violence and an inability to negotiate safer sex practices.

The Congressional Human Rights Caucus and the Global Health Caucus co-sponsored the event.

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Clinton Introduces PATHWAY Act in Senate

ICRW applauds Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) for introducing the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth (PATHWAY) Act (S. 2415). 

"Women - mothers, sisters, daughters and wives - continue to bear the brunt of the AIDS epidemic in the developing world," says ICRW President Geeta Rao Gupta. "The PATHWAY Act will set forth a comprehensive approach to address the vulnerabilities of women, an approach Congress must prioritize if we truly want to stem the epidemic." 

The bill would strike the earmark requiring one-third of PEPFAR prevention funds to be spent on abstinence-only until marriage programs, and would call on the Office of Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent HIV/AIDS infection among women and girls.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) introduced similar legislation in the House (H.R. 1713) this past March, a bill that has more than 95 co-sponsors.  Clinton 's bill currently has no co-sponsors. 

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Sen. Durbin Introduces Child Marriage Legislation

Bills Now Before Both Houses of Congress

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced a bill to reduce child marriage before the Senate adjourned for its August recess.

The bill, S. 1998, is similar to the one that Sens. Durbin and Hagel (R-Neb.) introduced in July 2006.

"This bill will help ensure that U.S. assistance supports and build on these efforts to help eradicate child marriage in our lifetimes as well as ensure greater success in other international development efforts," says ICRW President Geeta Rao Gupta.

ICRW applauds Durbin for introducing this legislation and encourages the Senate to move quickly to pass it.

Read the text of the bill.

Senate bill 1998 Child Marriage Sponsors Lead Sponsor: Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) Co-sponsors: Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) Sharrod Brown (D-Ohio) Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) Barbara Mikulski (D-Md) Patty Murray (D-Wash.) Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) House bill 3175 Child Marriage Sponsors Lead Sponsor: Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) Co-sponsors: Tammy Baldwin (D- Wis.) Howard L. Berman(D-Calif.) Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) Lois Capps ( D-Calif.) Michael E. Capuano (D-Mass.) Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas) Al Green (D-Texas) Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) Alcee Hastings (D- Fla.) Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas) Michael Honda (D-Calif.) Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D- Ill.) William Jefferson (D-La.) Eddie Bernice Johnson (D- Texas) Shelia Jackson Lee (D-Texas) Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) John Lewis (D-Ga.) Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) James McGovern (D-Mass.) Michael McNulty (D-N.Y.) Michael H. Michaud (D-Maine) James Moran (D-Va.) Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) Jim Oberstar (D-Minn) Ed Pastor (D- Ariz.) Donald Payne (D- N.J.) Hilda L. Solis ( D-Calif.) Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.) Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-N.Y.) Pete Stark (D-Calif.) Lee Terry (R-Neb.) Mark Udall (D-Colo.) Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) Diane Watson (D-Calif.) Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) Organizations That Endorse the 2007 Child Marriage Legislation American Jewish World Service New York, N.Y. Amnesty International USA Washington, D.C. Armenian International Women's Association - Watertown, Mass. Americans for UNFPA New York, N.Y Christian Children's Fund Richmond, Va. CEDPA Washington, D.C. Center for Women Policy Studies Washington, D.C. Coptic Orphans Merrifield, V.a. Equality Now New York, N.Y. Family Violence Prevention Fund Washington, D.C. Feminist Majority Foundation Arlington, Va. Friends of the World Food Program Washington, D.C. FXB New York, N.Y. Girls Learn International, Inc. New York, N.Y. Global Action for Children Washington, D.C. Global AIDS Alliance Washington, D.C. Guttmacher Institute Washington, D.C. International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region New York, N.Y. International Women's Health Coalition New York, N.Y. National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Silver Spring, Md. National Council of Jewish Women New York, N.Y. National Organization for Women Washington, D.C. One by One Seattle, Wash. Pact Washington, D.C. Pathfinder International Watertown, Mass Plan USA Warwick, R.I. Population Action International Washington, D.C. Save the Children Westport, Conn. School Girls Unite Kensington, Md. Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States New York, N.Y. - Washington, D.C. The Grail in the U.S. Bronx, N.Y. Tostan, Washington, D.C. and Senegal U.S. Fund for UNICEF New York, N.Y. Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations Washington, D.C. United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society Washington, D.C. Women's Edge Washington, D.C. YWCA Washington D.C. Zonta Club New York, N.Y.

 

GENDER AND AIDS ADVOCACY

Legislation | What you Can Do | Tools | Learn More | Coalition and Partners

 

Pending U.S. Congressional Legislation

There are several bills currently before Congress that are important to effort to develop gender-sensitive responses to HIV/AIDS:

PEPFAR Reauthorization The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will be renewed in early 2008 for the next five years. Since its inception in 2003, PEPFAR has grown into the largest source of donor funding for the global HIV/AIDS crisis, comprising more than half of all aid flows. The policy discussion and debate is currently underway in Congress and the larger HIV/AIDS community. ICRW is working to ensure that PEPFAR more fully integrates gender concerns in its prevention, treatment and care programs during its next phase. In September 2007, ICRW released a paper: It Can Be Done: Addressing Gender the AIDS Epidemic through PEPFAR Programs The paper outlines recommendations for strengthening PEPFAR's focus on gender. PATHWAY Act H.R. 1713 The bill would strike the earmark requiring one-third of PEPFAR prevention funds to be spent on abstinence-only until marriage programs, and would call on the Office of Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent HIV/AIDS infection among women and girls. ICRW supports the bill. For more information on the PATHWAY Act, please see PEPFAR Watch, a project of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. Microbicides Development Act H.R. 1420 and S. 823 This bill would authorize accelerated research and development of microbicides to prevent HIV transmission. For more information, please see the Global Campaign on Microbicides

 

What You Can Do!

Call your senators and representative to encourage them to cosponsor the child marriage bills: House of Representatives bill H. R. 3175 and Senate bill S. 1998. Find your senators. Find your representative.

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Tools and Resources

 

HIV/AIDS Stigma: Finding Solutions to Strengthen HIV/AIDS Programs Understanding and Challenging HIV Stigma: Toolkit for Action (Revised Edition) (1) Introduction and Module A (2) Modules B and C (3) Modules D and E (4) Modules F and G (5) Module H (6) Module I (7) Module J (8) Moving to Action Module (9) Picture Booklet Understanding and Challenging HIV Stigma: Toolkit for Action (9.6 MB) Common at its Core: HIV-Related Stigma Across Contexts HIV & AIDS-Stigma and Violence Reduction Intervention Manual (5.2 MB) Measuring HIV Stigma: Results of a Field Test in Tanzania (2.3 MB)

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Learn More

 

Awareness among policy-makers and the public of the unique vulnerabilities of women and girls to the HIV/AIDS epidemic has risen dramatically, including a New York Times op-ed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (2002) and numerous articles and television appeals by rock star Bono of the band U2. Attention to gender-based violence in the context of HIV/AIDS is particularly strong.

Gender norms, including power inequalities, leave women more vulnerable to infection. A lack of property and inheritance rights, the acceptance of gender-based violence, and HIV- and AIDS-related stigma are just a few of the reasons women and girls are more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately, policies and programs do not yet reflect the public's concern.

ICRW'S RESPONSE

ICRW is advocating for both more and targeted funding to address the specific vulnerabilities of women and girls to HIV and AIDS. Our advocacy efforts focus on policies that are comprehensive and dedicated to helping women and girls. Our research shows that programs that work with women often benefit not only women, but children and men as well.

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Coalitions and Partners

ICRW works with many partners to accomplish our advocacy goals. Our partners and coalitions include:

Global AIDS Roundtable (GAR): GAR is convened monthly by Global Health Council, bringing together some 35 U.S.-based activists and program implementers to coordinate advocacy on HIV/AIDS policy, particularly legislative policy. GAR has created four temporary working groups to formulate policy recommendations on HIV/AIDS for the next authorizing bill for PEPFAR; ICRW chairs the gender working group. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Gender Working Group: CSIS brings together a dozen representatives, mostly of implementing groups, to support CSIS policy leadership on gender. The current focus is on integrating HIV/AIDS with sexual and reproductive health policy and programs. Global Coalition on Women and AIDS (GCWA): GCWA, convened by UNAIDS, brings together international NGOs and representatives from international institutions to develop coordinated messages and strategies to raise the priority of women and girls in the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. International Violence Against Women Coalition: This is an emerging coalition organized by Women's Edge, Amnesty International and the Family Violence Prevention Fund to promote passage of the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) legislation in U.S. Congress. The bill would address many of the root causes of violence against women that are also crucial to HIV and AIDS.

 

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For specific questions, please contact Kathy Selvaggio, ICRW's senior policy advocate.

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How to Learn more

• Sign up for e-mail alerts about ICRW's work.

• Read our fact sheets and speeches.

• Attend an Insight and Action Seminar.