The International Violence Against Women Act presents a critical opportunity for the United States to protect, defend, and empower the world’s women.

For decades, the Baha'is of the United States have worked to advance the status of women by advocating policies and legislation that promote gender equality, including the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Learn more about CEDAW.

We know that women and girls around the world face violence and discrimination daily. We also know that CEDAW, the Women’s Treaty, helps women and girls to go to school, to own and inherit property, to take part in public life, and to fight violence. We need Senate action on the CEDAW Treaty (the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) to give the U.S. greater clout to help women worldwide win these basic rights.

On Thursday, February 4, 2010, Members of Congress introduced the groundbreaking International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)! The bill is H.R. 4594 in the House and S. 2982 in the Senate.

On December 1, the U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent a resolution condemning the state-sponsored persecution of Baha'is in Iran, the country's largest religious minority.

On October 1, 2009, Baha'is attended a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing titled, “Violence Against Women: Global Costs and Consequences.” 

Kevin Locke, world-renowned Native American performer and educator, and member of the Baha'i community, has won a Native American Music Award (Nammy) in the Record of the Year category for his latest recording, Earth Gift.

This year’s commemoration of Universal Children’s Day, on November 20, also marks the 20th anniversary of the Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and 20 years of effort by the United Nations to give the world's children protected status through an inclusive, legally-binding human rights treaty. 

Each year on August 26, the United States commemorates Women’s Equality Day, honoring the hard work of many courageous women who, 89 years ago, succeeded in securing the right to vote for future generations.

The U.S. Baha'i community is adding its support to The Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by encouraging participation in an essay contest for U.S. students in grades 6 though 12.