3-2-1: A look back at 2017
3. Women’s Empowerment
JWI began 2017 standing up for women's equality at the Women's March. With renewed civic engagement, we continued our work to end violence against women, fought so that all women have access to long-term economic security, and mentored the next generation of women leaders.
- JWI is working on college campuses to change the culture of violence that resulted in #MeToo. Programs like Safe Smart Dating encourage conversations and action on the issues of sexual assault and dating violence.
- Long term economic security is vital to achieving women's parity both at home and in the workplace. We encourage women of all ages to take control of their financial futures, providing Life$avings workshops to women of all ages and financial literacy resources to women living in shelters through our Mother’s Day Flower Project.
- This year we saw a response to the clarion call for greater female representation in elected office. Through the Young Women's Leadership Network JWI has connected young women with their elected officials, discussing policy and running workshops on holding and seeking elected office.
2. Administration
JWI, along with coalition partners, submitted public comments, advocated with Congressional offices, and published op-eds to combat the discriminatory rhetoric and harmful regulatory policies of the Administration.
- We condemned the Office of Management and Budget's decision to stop a wage data collection effort that would have provided the transparency needed to correct pay disparities resulting from sex, race, and ethnicity across all job categories. JWI released a public statement denouncing the decision and advocated for the collection's reinstatement.
- In response to increased immigration enforcement that jeopardized the lives and livelihoods of refugees and DACA recipients JWI signed onto advocacy letters calling for a clean DREAM Act, held a webinar for advocates, and hosted a panel discussion with our Interfaith Coalition to address immigration’s impact on domestic violence survivors.
- We stood up against the President’s attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act through executive order and protested Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education’s denial of Title IX protections for women on college campuses. As leaders working to change the culture of violence, we will never stop standing up for the rights of every person to live free from sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
1. Congress
Our Congress failed our nation this year. With over 400 mass shootings in 2017 – from a Congressional baseball practice to a concert in Las Vegas to a church in Sutherland Springs – Congress failed to pass a single commonsense bill to curb the epidemic of gun violence. The link between gun violence and domestic violence is undeniable – the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%. JWI petitioned Congress, met with over twenty Congressional offices, and sent advocacy letters to each member in the Senate and House of Representatives to propose gun violence prevention reforms that would specifically reduce the likelihood of an abuser gaining access to a gun.
And it's thanks to you...
With your support JWI was able to advocate on behalf of women and girls in 2017. Together, we are creating an enduring impact. We can’t do it without you. Please donate now!