A woman is raped in the United States every six minutes. Worldwide, gender-based violence kills as many 16- to 44-year-old women as cancer each year. As shocking as these statistics are, however, too seldom do they provoke change. Violence against women is a scourge that harms everyone, regardless of class, religion or skin color. It is through lack of action that those who kill female relatives in the name of âÄúhonorâÄù go without punishment, female genital mutilation continues to scar girls emotionally and physically and atrocities such as mass rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo go unchecked. On Feb. 4, a bipartisan group of senators and representatives reintroduced the International Violence against Women Act, a piece of legislation that aims to help women who have been subjected to gender-based violence and implement measures to prevent these acts from occurring in the future. The time has come to stop sweeping this issue under the rug and take steps to ensure the full realization of womenâÄôs human rights worldwide. Amnesty International at the University of Minnesota will be tabling on the ground floor of Coffman from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Feb. 22-26. Stop by to sign our letter urging Congress to pass this important bill. While there, find out more about the issue of gender-based violence both locally and worldwide, and find out what you can do to end it. Remember, all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing. Violence against women is not just a female issue, but one that harms all. Valerie Hurst, University undergraduate student