JWI Statement on White House event marking International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
From Jewish Women International on June 18, 2024:
Jewish Women International thanks the White House Gender Policy Council and the Biden Administration for so firmly placing what happened to Israeli women on Oct. 7, and the ongoing sexual violence against the hostages, into a global CRSV context.
“We cannot look away and we will not be silent,” Vice President Kamala Harris said during yesterday’s event marking International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict (June 19).
The Israeli women, men and children who suffered sexual violence at the hands of Hamas and other terrorists have been met with a world that refuses to believe or stand with them. The outrageous denial, disinformation, dehumanization and disbelief is not acceptable. It is for this reason that JWI partnered with Seed the Dream Foundation to create I Believe Israeli Women: We will not allow what happened to them to be distorted, denied, or erased. We stand with and for the truth.
Historic justice begins with the acknowledgment that serious crimes have taken place.
The sexual violence Hamas and other terrorists committed on and after Oct. 7 are not only war crimes, but crimes against humanity, and should be called out as such.
Hearing directly from survivors, as we did at yesterday’s event, reminds the world not only that this happened, but that this happened to individuals.
JWI will continue to lift up their voices, demanding accountability for the perpetrators and justice for the survivors.
Jewish Women International (JWI) is the leading Jewish organization working to end violence against women and girls domestically and internationally. JWI's National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence in the Jewish Community is the hub of resources, trainings, and research to support the field. It convenes The Collaborative, the network of all Jewish domestic violence agencies in the U.S. and established and hosts the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Clergy Task Force to End Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community. A Steering Committee member of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, JWI’s advocacy efforts focus on the passage of legislation that supports women and girls, ensures their economic security, and protects their right to live free of violence.