To the editor:

The Lawrence Journal-World’s reporting about the violence and degradation many women face worldwide reveals a horrific problem that must be addressed. Last fall many readers were shocked to learn of women being severely punished or killed for exercising basic freedoms while living under the Taliban rule. Every day, thousands of girls are sold and trafficked into the sex slave trade against their will. Sadly, these problems are among the myriad abuses against women and girls on a daily basis worldwide who suffer rape, battery, “honor” killings, acid burnings, genital mutilation, and more.

This week Sen. Sam Brownback has the opportunity to address some of these abuses during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The treaty for the rights of women is an international tool for protecting and promoting basic human rights for women and girls. Of key significance, the treaty protects women from violence, ensures that girls are allowed to attend school, and helps save women’s lives.

Currently 169 countries have ratified the treaty. The United States remains in a small minority of countries that has not yet ratified it, including Afghanistan, Iran, and the Sudan. Sen. Brownback should vote in favor of this important treaty, both for his constituents and to save the lives of women worldwide.

Heather Burgess
Lawrence