Mr. President, today, I join my colleagues, Senators Shaheen, Isakson, and Menendez, in introducing the International Violence Against Women Act of 2017. This legislation makes ending violence against women and girls a top diplomatic priority. It permanently authorizes the State Department's Office of Global Women's Issues and the position of the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. It requires the Administration to develop and implement an annual strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls for each of the five years after the date of enactment. This bill would ensure that efforts begun under President George W. Bush and President Obama to combat gender-based violence continue in future Administrations. Mr. President, we have witnessed great strides in women's equality in our own Country, and in much of the world, over the past century. Across vast swathes of the globe, however, violence against women and forced marriage remain everyday problems. One out of every three women worldwide will be physically, sexually, or otherwise abused during her lifetime, with rates reaching 70 percent in some countries. This type of violence ranges from domestic violence, rape, and acid burnings to dowry deaths and so-called ``honor killings.'' Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, a public health epidemic, and a barrier to solving global challenges such as extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS, and conflict.…
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