On Dec. 5, the Save Darfur Coalition honored senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) as part of the internationally observed “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.” Each day between Nov. 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) and Dec. 10 (International Human Rights Day), the campaign honors leaders in the fight to empower, protect, and uplift women in Sudan. According to a press release from savedarfur.org, the senators presided over a joint hearing this spring titled “Confronting Rape and other Forms of Violence Against Women in Conflict Zones, Spotlight: DRC and Sudan.” Following the hearings, Boxer composed a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting U.S. government action to prevent sexual violence in Congo and Sudan and provide services to survivors. Both of the senators have also advocated for Darfur by co-sponsoring legislation. Sen. Boxer was involved in the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 and the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act in 2007. Boxer also voted in favor of the Genocide Accountability Act, which now allows the U.S. Justice Department to prosecute people accused of committing genocide overseas. Sen. Feingold is the chairman of the Subcommittee for African Affairs and was the first senator to speak about the conflict in Darfur on the Senate floor in 2004.
This article appears in Dec 10-17, 2009.