A recent New York Times article drew national media attention to sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where rape is widespread and used as a weapon of war, and described how women are raising their voices to address the problem. Unfortunately, what is happening in the Congo is not uncommon - violence against women and children, particularly sexual violence, increases dramatically in conflict situations and increases women’s poverty. As their family members and neighbors are killed or kidnapped, more and more women are forced to become the sole head of household bearing full economic responsibility for their children, elders, extended family, and, in many cases, orphans of friends. In the Congo, for example it is estimated that 60 to 80 percent of women have become single heads of households due to the conflict.

The diplomatic community can prevent sexual violence and the extreme suffering poverty it creates. By responding more quickly to outbreaks of violence against women and investing in women's economic opportunity, we can empower women in places like Congo, Darfur, Chad, Uganda, Kenya and Colombia to escape, recover from, and succeed in spite of the bloody conflicts that disrupt their lives. The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), now before the U.S. Congress, would require the U.S. government to do exactly that.