A coalition of women’s groups is not giving up on immigration reform.
Led by advocacy group We Belong Together, the coalition includes more than 50 organizations that believe immigration reform is, at its core, a “women’s issue.” During the month of March, these groups plan to use protest fasting and other actions, pushing Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill.
As immigration reform returns to the national spotlight, the George Washington University’s Global Women’s Institute will host its own conversation on the linkage between ending violence against women and immigration reform. “Violence Against Women as a Cross Border Issue” will take place on Friday at noon in Duques Hall, room 152. The event is free and open to the GW community. Interested attendees can RSVP to gwomen
gwu [dot] edu or reserve tickets here.
The panel discussion, moderated by GWI Director Mary Ellsberg, will feature:
- Ashwini Jaisingh, a lead organizer at Casa de Maryland, the largest Latino and immigrant organization in the state of Maryland
- Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, a feminist organization devoted to achieving equality for women through education and litigation;
- Maya Raghu, a senior attorney at Futures Without Violence, a nonprofit focused on ending domestic and sexual violence;
- Archi Pyati, director of public policy at the Tahirih Justice Center, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services and social and medical service referrals to immigrant women and girls who are fleeing from gender-based violence.
White House Advisor on Violence Against Women Lynn Rosenthal will give opening remarks. The panelists will discuss how and why the current U.S. immigration system is “broken,” share perspectives from real-life experiences and discuss solutions.
Dr. Ellsberg and the Global Women’s Institute have made a push for the passage of the International Violence against Women Act (I-VAWA) and comprehensive immigration reform throughout the year. In November, the institute released a policy brief with We Belong Together on immigration reform as it relates to violence against women.
"To make sustained progress in ending violence against women and girls, we must create a safe environment at home and abroad. The passage of I-VAWA and comprehensive immigration reform is a key step in that direction," Dr. Ellsberg said. “I hope this event will be enlightening and help bring the conversation on this important issue back to the forefront.”