Some have suggested that the third wave of feminism is international.  There are times when I stridently believe that we need to get our own house in order before we start going out into the world.

Yet, I am humbled when I read about the horrendous abuse women experience in other countries ~ especially in war zones.  A military weapon more powerful than any bomb is to rape a woman in front of her family.

The person most in the forefront, of course, is Eve Ensler.   Her current efforts are focused on the Congo.

But, she is not alone.  The United Nations  has been shining a global spotlight on the prevention of violence against women and girls for over a decade.  Their Secretary-General launched a multi-year “UNite to End Violence Against Women” campaign during February, 2008.  A group of UN experts put together a set of legislative best practices.  The Body Shop has an international “Stop Violence in the Home” campaign.  If you go to their website, you will find an international map that will direct you to resources in your country.

Our own WordPress blog Womenshpere has extraordinarily extensive information about global domestic violence and women’s issues.

And, I was blessed to meet the editors of Shout Out:  Women of Color Respond to Violence which includes enlightening survivor stories from around the world.

Note:  On June 30, 2009, The Washington Post printed a blistering op-ed piece by Eve Ensler detailing the UN’s failure to protect women in the Congo.