85% of UN Member States in the world have constitutions that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex and/or gender. The United States is not one of them.
Over their lifetime, one in six American women will experience sexual violence. Data shows that marginalized communities, such as indigenous women, Black women, and young women will be disproportionately affected and have a harder time seeking and obtaining justice.
Despite the pervasiveness of these crimes, state and federal laws are often insufficient, inconsistent, and not systematically enforced, leaving women and girls vulnerable to GBV.
As part of our I Need the ERA because… campaign, launched to mark Women’s Equality Day 2022, we take a closer look at how the ERA would help move the needle on four crucial issues for women and girls, including gender based violence.
Explore our factsheet on how the ERA would impact laws relating to gender based violence in the United States.
I need the ERA because…a girl is not a wife – Child marriage
It is estimated by Unchained at Last that about 300,000 children were married in the United States between 2000 and 2018, the…
I need the ERA because…reproductive rights are human rights – Abortion
By rightfully framing access to reproductive healthcare, including access to legal abortion, as fundamental to ensuring gende…
I need the ERA because… I have the right to bodily integrity – FGM
Despite the prevalence of the practice in the USA and the persisting risk to many women and girls, 20% of American states do …
I need the ERA because…LGBTQ+ rights are human rights
Because discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation is sex discrimination, the ERA will make it much…
I need the ERA because… economic rights are human rights
In the United States, women do not have protections nor an explicit guarantee of equality on the basis of sex or gender withi…
I need the ERA because…without the ERA, the US violates international law
In October 2023, the United States was reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and for the first time, a UN tr…
I need the ERA because…paid care is a right – gender equality and the care economy
For more than a century, feminists have realized that omitting sex discrimination from the Constitution presents a major barr…
I need the ERA because…the voice of the US legal profession endorses it!
In August 2024, The American Bar Association, the largest national volunteer association of lawyers in the world, adopted&nbs…