To the Editor:


In “To Stop Violence, Start at Home” (Op-Ed, Feb. 3), Pamela Shifman and Salamishah Tillet rightly underscore the importance of strong feminist movements to reduce domestic and other forms of violence. These movements shape public discourse, garner political will, and empower women and girls. Yet, astonishingly, the organizations that drive this change are often severely underfunded.


The particular needs of women and girls have never received as much public attention as they do today: From keeping girls in school to stopping the harmful practice of child marriage, public discourse on these issues is at an all-time high. Yet there has been little to no corresponding increase in funding for most women’s groups.


According to the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, in 2010 the median yearly income of more than 740 women’s organizations worldwide was only $20,000.


Without investment in women’s movements, the major social and political changes needed to improve the status of women and girls will remain elusive.


FRANÇOISE GIRARD


President, International


Women’s Health Coalition


New York