Reese Witherspoon and Cool Jewelry Fight Domestic Violence

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-03-12 16:07:00 UTC
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Reese Witherspoon, cool jewelry, and fighting domestic violence: what's not to love?

Today marks the end week of events surrounding International Women's Day (IWD), sponsored by Vital Voices and the Avon Foundation as part of their Global Fund to End Violence Against Women. As a huge Legally Blond fan (no, I won't tell you how often I've seen that movie), I already loved Witherspoon-the-actress. But it's even more awesome when that actress is Avon's Global Ambassador, traveling the world to fight on behalf of the one-in-three women who are targets of violence at one point in their lives. (And provides me with a great excuse to watch Elle Woods take Harvard by storm again this weekend.)

At an Avon domestic violence panel this week, experts discussed the steps we need to take to stop the abuse. Cindy Dyer, former Director of the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, spoke about the need to aggressively prosecute those who hit their parents because that low-level violence can quickly escalate and even result in death. Dyer says, "You are a good prosecutor if you can prosecute a murder case, but you are a great prosecutor if you can prevent one from happening in the first place." You can watch videos from the panel, which also included Lynn Rosenthal, Obama's domestic violence czar, on Avon's IWD Facebook tab.

Witherspoon says, "There is nothing more important for all of us than ensuring the safety of women and girls everywhere. The problem is so pervasive, it's critical that we find ways to work together, as a global community, to combat it." Very true. The actress/ambassador sports an Empowerment Ring, available from Avon. 100% of net profits will go to supporting domestic violence shelters, and your ring (or T-shirt) comes with a Domestic Violence Resource Guide -- so you're not just supporting survivors with your money, you're also learning more about the epidemic of abuse and what you can do.

Photo credit: Avon Foundation

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
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