In 2018, my daughter Haley Anderson was brutally murdered by a fellow nursing student. The perpetrator fled the country and efforts to extradite him were unsuccessful.Fortunately, justice was served when he was tried and convicted of femicide in Nicaragua.

Femicide is defined as the intentional killing of women because they are women. It is a gender-based hate crime that affects women worldwide. In the United States alone, an average of three women are killed every day by their partners or former partners.

Despite this alarming statistic, femicide is not recognized as a specific crime in most states. This means that perpetrators may receive lesser charges and sentences for killing women simply because they are not classified as femicides.

We need to change this. By enacting femicide as a law in the United States, we can send a clear message that violence against women will not be tolerated. It will also ensure that perpetrators receive appropriate punishment for their crimes.

According to UN Women, countries with laws specifically addressing femicide have seen significant decreases in gender-based violence against women. By enacting similar laws here in the United States, we can work towards creating safer communities for all women.

Join me in calling on our lawmakers to enact femicide as a law in the United States and help protect countless lives from senseless violence based on gender alone.

Sources:
- UN Women (https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (https://ncadv.org/statistics