After years of negotiations, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have reached a deal on a framework to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with key improvements and protections to better meet the needs of abuse survivors. They plan to introduce the bill in late January.
However, the senators are asking for people to voice support now. While they finalize the bill, Americans can build support for it among our senators. On January 19, MWEG will join the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence and women’s and interfaith organizations across the U.S. in calling on our representatives to co-sponsor and pass the reauthorization of VAWA.
To do:
Read the information below as well as this article about the Violence Against Women Act and the need for reauthorization. Then call on your senators to co-sponsor and pass the reauthorization bill.
You can also tell members of your community about the need to reauthorize VAWA and invite them to participate in the day of policy action on January 19, 2022.
Follow MWEG for information about future events and to learn more about VAWA. Go HERE to write an unprompted letter to your senators, and go HERE to write a prompted letter to your senators.
Background:
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is bipartisan legislation that was originally passed in 1994. VAWA creates and provides protections for women and children suffering from violence and abuse by supporting comprehensive, trauma-informed, and cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. These responses include prevention, education, prosecution, and survivor services programs at the federal, tribal, state, and local levels.
Since VAWA’s enactment, the rate of intimate partner violence has decreased by 64 percent, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Rates of other forms of violence against women and children have similarly decreased. While this change is not due entirely to VAWA, VAWA has played a huge role in this reduction.
Some of the services and programs include efforts to address rape kit backlogs; authority for Native tribes to enforce tribal laws pertaining to domestic and intimate partner violence and related crimes against non-tribal members; increased protection for immigrants, trafficking victims, and LGBTQ+ victims; and housing assistance, counseling, and legal clinics for survivors.
However, to guarantee funding, VAWA must be reauthorized and updated every five years. The legislation was supposed to be reauthorized in 2019 but remains unauthorized, as it has stalled in Congress. Although patchwork fixes have allowed current services to remain funded, these are not permanent or sustainable fixes. Without a fully reauthorized VAWA, programs will be negatively impacted in the long term, and advocates will have limited ability to provide services.
Our support for VAWA is supported by several of MWEG Principles of Ethical Government, including:
Rights — PEG 2: Every human being is endowed with rights that governments are obligated to protect and not violate. These include both universal human rights such as the rights to life and liberty, as well as civil rights such as the rights to equitable political representation and equal protection under the law (see D&C 134:1-2).
Abuse is clearly a violation of the right to life and liberty. VAWA protects these rights for survivors of abuse.
PEG 2(c): All people are entitled to equal protection and due process under the law and to be free from arbitrary deprivation of their life, liberty, property, and privacy. Criminal justice and national security institutions must be designed in ways that preserve and uphold those rights for all people equally (see D&C 101:77).
Again, abuse is a clear violation of life, liberty, property, and privacy. VAWA protects these rights for survivors of abuse.
Responsibilities — PEG 3: All human beings are mutually accountable to their fellow human beings in their local communities, their countries, and the world (see Matthew 22:37-40).
As Jesus taught, we are accountable for the ways we succor the vulnerable and marginalized. VAWA gives us tools to help both groups by offering protections and support for abuse survivors.
PEG 3(e): Economic and social inequity damages the moral fabric of societies and weakens democratic governments. People should act freely to implement measures that promote equality of opportunity for their fellow human beings (see Alma 4:12-13; 3 Nephi 6:9-16; and D&C 49:20).
Abuse causes economic and social inequity for abuse survivors. VAWA is one way to promote equality of opportunity for survivors of abuse.
Comments