Originally published on the CGS blog on February 12, 2013.
By a margin of 78-22, the Violence Against Women Act passed in the Senate. Last year—that’s 501 days ago to be exact—Congress let VAWA expire for the first time since it was introduced and passed in 1994. The President released a statement of gratitude:
Today the Senate passed a strong bipartisan bill to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act. This important step shows what we can do when we come together across party lines to take up a just cause. The bill passed by the Senate will help reduce homicides that occur from domestic violence, improve the criminal justice response to rape and sexual assault, address the high rates of dating violence experienced by young women, and provide justice to the most vulnerable among us. I want to thank Senator Leahy and his colleagues from both sides of the aisle for the leadership they have shown on behalf of victims of abuse. It’s now time for the House to follow suit and send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law.
The Violence Against Women Act is an essential piece of legislation which, when it was introduced in 1994, created the first U.S. federal legislation that acknowledged domestic and sexual assaults as crimes. Because of VAWA, between 1994 and 2010, the rate of domestic violence decreased by 64%. Not even that, but because of VAWA, rape survivors supported by VAWA advocates were 59% more likely to have police reports filed than survivors without advocates. We can see how under-reported rapes are and how easily they are ignored even when reported. Combating violence against women is still a major concern—every 9 seconds a woman in the US is beaten and every 2 minutes a woman is sexually assaulted. The VAWA empowers survivors of violence and sexual assault to seek justice and find resources necessary to live on to lead a healthy violence-free life.
So, who are the 22 Senators who voted against the VAWA? And why does VAWA still have a fight to continue through the House of Representatives? Such a vital piece of legislation is essential to the U.S., as it has helped countless of women and men flee from volatile and gravely dangerous situations. This opposition to VAWA goes beyond the same old story of politics as usual—this opposition is a twisted effort to let a bill die for no sane reason that I can fathom. Let’s tackle some outlandish myths:
As the Heritage Foundation writes, “Without precedent, the bill surrenders the rights of Americans who are not American Indians to racially exclusive tribal courts.” They are referring to new protections added to the bill which are designed to help Native women. Interesting the Heritage Foundation should frame the problem this way. In actuality, 1 in 3 Native American women will be raped in their lifetime—that’s 2.5 times the national average. At least 86% of sexual assaults are reportedly being perpetrated by “non-Native men, according to the US department of justice.” Without added protections from the Violence Against Women Act, these rapes could continue to be unpunished because of tribal law. So, who in the right mind would be against these protections?
Another ridiculous criticism of the Violence Against Women Act is the budget spin. According to Family Research Council, the “real abuse” is how much it will waste taxpayers dollars. I see what you did there, FRC, was that supposed to be a pun? About sexual and domestic abuse? All ill-worded critics aside, VAWA does not waste money. In fact VAWA is saving U.S. taxpayers money:
VAWA not only saves lives, it also saves money. In its first six years alone, VAWA saved taxpayers at least $14.8 billion in net averted social costs. A recent study found that civil protection orders saved one state [Kentucky] on average $85 million in a single year.
Now the real challenge is the House of Representatives. After last election’s results, will they still be as stubborn as to block a piece of legislation that has proven to save lives and taxpayer’s money—all in the name of political games? Call you House Representative now and tell him/her to vote for VAWA. For those who rely on the essential services of the Violence Against Women Act, it is a matter of life and death. For the rest—it is our responsibility to protect them.
