Violence against women is a global pandemic and the facts are staggering. Though the United States has an important vehicle to combat it - the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) - the Act lies dormant. I-VAWA was introduced in the US Congress in 2007, but never came to a vote before Congress adjourned. It was re-introduced in 2008, but has not been introduced in 2009, although a strong coalition of organizations has circulated petitions.

Women survivors of sexual and gender-based violence are leading the global movement to end violence and rebuild their lives in ways that promote sustainable peace and security for all. I have witnessed firsthand women’s resilience in the face of horrific acts of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Sudan. My organization, Peace X Peace, highlights stories and solutions to this global pandemic from women like Suraya Pakzad, whose organization, Voice of Women, provides advocacy, counseling, protection, and opportunities for Afghan women and girls.

“Girls who run away from domestic violence, from forced marriages, from too-early and abusive marriages are placed in correctional centers,” she explains. “Recently, two girls were raped in one of these places by the head of the center, the person who is supposed to be protecting them. Within two weeks we have had four rapes in this place involving a 5-year-old, a 6-year-old, a 7-year-old, and a 14-year-old girl.”

Despite receiving numerous death threats from the Taliban for her work defending women, Suraya remains undaunted. She continues to raise awareness, sensitizing both the police and communities to violence against women and girls.

The truth is, until the violence ends everywhere, women are not safe anywhere. The US Congress has an opportunity now to add its voice, its leadership, and America’s resources to the global effort to end violence against women. Here are some things the US Congress can and should do:

• Support survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and prevent the violence.

• Establish one central State Department Office for Global Women’s Issues to coordinate US policies, programs, and resources that deal with women’s issues.

• Establish an office of Women's Global Development in the US Agency for International Development to integrate gender equality into all policies, programs, and activities of the Agency.

• Create a five-year strategy to fight violence against women in 10-20 selected countries.

• Authorize $175 million to incorporate best practices on addressing violence against women into programs that prevent violence, encourage legal reform and changes in public attitudes, promote access to economic opportunity projects and safe schools, and support healthcare.

• Enable the US government to develop a faster and more efficient response to violence against women in humanitarian emergencies and conflict-related situations and require training and reporting mechanisms for humanitarian workers and other workers.

• Enhance the capacity of the US government to develop emergency measures to respond to mass rape, including direct services to victims and holding perpetrators accountable.

• Build the effectiveness of overseas non-governmental organizations―particularly women’s nongovernmental organizations―in addressing violence against women.

The good news is all these actions are included in I-VAWA. Some say the bill has not yet passed because the legislative process takes time. On October 1, 2009 the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held the first ever hearing on the global costs and consequences of violence against women. Senator John Kerry announced his plan to introduce the bill in his opening statement.

Last summer at the height of the recent unrest in Zimbabwe, Peace X Peace members there sent this dispatch: “Yesterday, the wife of a man running for mayor was abducted with her 4-year-old son and beaten to death in front of the child. Two days ago, a woman activist was forced to go to a meeting orchestrated by the government, was taken to a side room and beaten severely on the back from shoulders to bum. She is now in the hospital and is expected to recover.” Our sisters in Zimbabwe say people there need two things: an end to the violence and the support of US lawmakers to make it a reality.

After four years of extensive review―unquestionably showing that violence against women is a pervasive problem in the US―the Violence Against Women Act was passed in 1994 with provisions dedicated to preventing sexual and domestic violence here at home. There can be no legislative act more honorable than enshrining in law the responsibility to protect the world’s women from the inhuman horrors of sexual and gender based violence.

Do women around the world have to wait four more years for what needs to be done now? Let’s tell our elected representatives that this is unacceptable.

Survivor Marie Chantal Nimugire’s experiences have led her to the same conclusion. “We all have to take responsibility for each other. Women are the heart of the family, and the heart of the nation.”

The evidence is in: Every victim and every survivor is a daughter, mother, sister, cousin, or best friend. Every victim, every traumatized survivor is one too many. What are we waiting for?