Peace is loud has joined the 16 days of activism by doing something very interesting. They are honoring 16 amazing women across the world who are committed to bring a change in this world by empowering women and by talking the language of peace.

Based out of New York, the organization’s mission is to “support female voices focused on peace-building by helping organizations and individuals mobilize their communities to end and transform conflicts through non-violent means.”

To our great delight, Breakthrough founder Mallika Dutt was featured as one of the 16 amazing women on Nov 28th. Today’s featured activist is Terry McGovern.

Visit the Peace is loud page ‘Many voices one story’ every day from 25th Nov to 10th Dec to read about the amazing women. In an attempt to spread the word we are going to post the same content on this blog.

Today’s voice: Terry McGovern

Theresa McGovern, a 1986 Georgetown University Law school graduate, founded the HIV Law Project in 1989 where she served as the Executive Director until 1999. McGovern successfully litigated numerous cases against the federal, state and local governments including S.P. v. Sullivan which forced the Social Security Administration to expanding the HIV-related disability criteria so that women and low income individuals could qualify for Medicaid and social security and T.N. v. FDA which eliminated a 1977 FDA guideline which restricted the participation of women of childbearing potential in early phases of clinical trials. As a member of the National Task Force on the Development of HIV/AIDS Drugs, she authored the 2001 federal regulation authorizing the FDA to halt any clinical trial for a life threatening disease that excludes women. In addition, while at the HIV Law Project, she developed a client-training program, which successfully prepares HIV positive women to enter and impact the policy arena. McGovern had published extensively and has testified numerous times before Congress and other policymaking entities. In 2001, was appointed Assistant Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health and Socio-Medical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health’s where she was the Director of the Women’s Health and Human Rights Advocacy Project. She joined the Ford Foundation as the HIV/AIDS Human Rights Program Officer in May, 2006.

Commit ▪ Act ▪ Demand: We CAN End Violence Against Women!
Reflection by Terry McGovern

Throughout my twenty two years of work with women affected by HIV, I have encountered constant, complicated, mutating forms of violence against women. Whether it is sexual violence against girls in the home or rape in the context of conflict or war or simply abuse of power, this violence is one of the greatest drivers of the HIV epidemic.

Violence against women is epidemic and routine and this has always confounded me. The stark abuse of women is ingrained in all of our cultures and it is only through the courage and perseverance of activists around the world that any protections exist and perpetrators face any consequences for their abuses.

But it is hard to think for very long about the abuses. What comes along instead are the images and memories of the funny heroic women who survive this violence and fight it every single day. The images of women taking care of each other and teaching their sisters and brothers to survive with dignity. I believe that our greatest strength comes when we locate our own voice to describe the ways in which we have been victimized and when we use that voice fearlessly.

We must end the violence against women. We must fight, resist, mutate, endure until this global phenomenon ends. I am honored to be a part of this movement.

[From Peace is Loud website]