The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (H.R.6545), one of the nation’s single most effective tools in responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. wapo.st/2EHW6Zu?tid=ss…
What does VAWA do and why is it so important for it to be reauthorized? Let me break it down.
VAWA increases authorization for the Rape Prevention & Education Program from $50 million to $150 million to address skyrocketing need and demand for community prevention programs.
VAWA returns sovereignty to tribes to prosecute non-native offenders of sexual assault, trafficking, stalking, and child abuse. These are men who intentionally go to reservations for the purpose of harming native people knowing they can't be prosecuted by tribal courts.
VAWA adds new definitions including Abuse in Later Life; Alternative Justice Response; Digital Services; Forced Marriage; Economic Abuse; and Technological Abuse and updates the definition of domestic violence. This allows criminal prosecution of offenders in these areas.
VAWA strengthens public housing protections for survivors including those seeking housing transfers based on safety concerns.
VAWA adds a new purpose to the Improving Criminal Justice Response grant program to implement alternative justice responses that are focused on victim autonomy, agency and safety to provide resolution and restitution for the victim.
VAWA strengthens privacy protections across state lines, online with digital records, and preserves confidentiality upon survivor’s death in accordance with their wishes.
VAWA acknowledges the trauma of incarceration on women and their family members, especially their children, and improves health care services and trauma informed responses to better prepare incarcerated women to return to their communities.
VAWA improves enforcement of current federal domestic violence-related firearms laws and closes loopholes to reduce firearm-involved abuse and intimate partner homicide.
The new VAWA bill expands it's ability to respond to sexual harassment. This is crucial to creating new avenues of support, training, reporting procedures, and criminal prosecution.
Is it surprising that a self-confessed sexual abuser like Trump would allow VAWA to essentially be destroyed (at least during his term in office)? Absolutely not. But we can fight back by contacting our representatives and letting them know we support reauthorization
All of the information I just shared is from the @NDVH website. To learn what you can do to pressure Congress into reauthorizing VAWA, click on the following link:
Protect Violence Against Women Act: Ways to Take Action thehotline.org/2018/08/31/pro…
Protect Violence Against Women Act: Ways to Take Action thehotline.org/2018/08/31/pro…
