Stop Violence Against Women

From Women's Human Rights Online Bulletin June 2005

 

Hot Topic: VAWA Reauthorization Threatened

Domestic violence is a primary cause of homelessness; in fact 92% of homeless women in the US have been physically or sexually assaulted. Nearly half of the households in which domestic violence occurs include at least one child under the age of twelve.(1) 92% of female juvenile offenders interviewed reported they had been emotionally, physically or sexually abused prior to entering the juvenile justice system.(2) Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking are pervasive crimes that directly affect one in four women in the United States and touch the lives of everyone in the community.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), originally enacted in 1994, is once again up for reauthorization and must be reauthorized by September 2005 in order to secure funding for the valuable community programs that help support victims of domestic violence. The bill is facing strong opposition, which means that many victims of domestic violence and the organizations and agencies that support them are at risk of losing the aid they receive. It is critical to speak out in support of VAWA reauthorization, advocate for the inclusion of youth-specific funding and programs, and continue to support those who are fighting to escape violence in their family and community.

The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA 1) succeeded in improving criminal justice and community-based responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the United States. VAWA 1 fostered community-coordinated responses that, for the first time, brought together the criminal justice system, social service agencies, and private nonprofit organizations to respond to domestic violence and sexual assault. This more holistic approach to responding to the multi-faceted issue of domestic violence helped improve the ability of survivors to receive appropriate assistance. VAWA 2 was passed in 2000 and included many improvements, such as inclusion of the additional related crimes of dating violence and stalking, creating a much-needed legal assistance program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, promoting supervised visitation programs for families experiencing violence, and furthering protection of immigrant women experiencing gender-based violence.

One measure of the impact of VAWA is the amount of subsequent legislation that has been passed to protect victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Since the implementation of VAWA in 1994, states have passed more than 660 laws to combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Furthermore, all states have passed laws making stalking a crime and changed laws that treated acquaintance or marital rape as a lesser crime than stranger rape. Additional evidence of VAWA’s impact can be seen in the heightened public discussion around domestic violence and the increase in domestic violence reporting– 48% in 1993 to 59% in 1998.(3) More community support and more available resources now exist to encourage victims of violence to report abuse and/or to leave abusive relationships. The past ten years of VAWA have seen marked progress on a number of fronts to end domestic violence in the United States.

Proponents of VAWA 3, scheduled to be voted on in 2005, seek to further improve the bill by increasing the number of people protected under the legislation and focusing on prevention, in addition to improving response for domestic violence victims. There is a greater focus on youth in VAWA 3 in the hope that eliminating their exposure to domestic violence now will keep them out of violent environments in the future. Studies have shown that when children witness violence in the home, they have a tendency to pick up the traits of either the abuser or the victim and their chances of entering into an abusive relationship in the future increases. VAWA 3 proposes addressing this issue by increasing funding for intervention programs for children who have witnessed domestic violence, supporting young families at risk for violence, and changing social norms through targeted interventions with boys and teens. In addition, VAWA 3 makes an even stronger commitment to underserved communities by improving criminal justice responses to sexual assault and developing protocols to protect the confidentiality of domestic violence victims who speak out against their abusers.

Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking are pervasive crimes that affect us all and which we must work to eliminate. Reauthorizing VAWA is the next step.

Act now to reauthorize VAWA. »

(1) Girls Incorporated.
(2) National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women.
(3) Ibid.

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