Fourteen women civil society leaders from Central America and the Dominican Republic will visit Washington, DC from June 24-28 to participate in Mujeres Adelante (“Women Moving Forward”), a program aimed at eliminating gender-based violence (GBV) in the region.

Launched in collaboration with the Seattle International Foundation and the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues in October 2012, Mujeres Adelante is a network of Central American and Dominican women leaders who work to:

1. Raise awareness of the prevalence of GBV, women’s rights, and available resources;

2. Increase accountability for preventing, responding to and addressing GBV;

3. Share best practices on service provision and advocacy efforts; and

4. Facilitate ongoing networking, skills and capacity-building of women in-country.

Prior to arriving in Washington, the women will have spent a week in Seattle participating in the Seattle International Foundation’s portion of the Mujeres Adelante program. In Washington, as participants in the International Visitors Leadership Program, the women will meet with government officials, NGOs and other organizations focused on the elimination of GBV.

The United States has made preventing and responding to GBV a cornerstone of its commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world. President Obama’s 2012 Executive Order on Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls Globally, and the accompanying U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally recognize that gender-based violence is a human rights abuse that significantly hinders the ability for individuals to contribute fully to their families, communities, and nations.