violence against women act vawa) turns 20 (13 september 1994)

[niyad]

Violence Against Women Act Turns 20

Saturday will be the 20th Anniversary of the groundbreaking federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Passed in 1994, VAWA was the first piece of federal legislation to specifically address domestic violence and sexual assault as crimes and to provide federal funding to improve local response to violence against women, including training and resources for law enforcement and judges.
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"VAWA has established a national standard in the fight to reduce sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking," said Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal, who played a central role in the passage of VAWA in 1994 and in each subsequent fight for VAWA reauthorization, including the 2013 reauthorization which broadened protections for Native American women, LGBT individuals, immigrants, and students. "VAWA has literally saved women's lives."
In the period between 1993 and 2010, the number of fatalities resulting from intimate partner violence decreased by 26 percent. In addition, the law has saved an estimated $12.6 billion in net averted social costs in the first six years.

"But our work is far from over," said Smeal. "The need for community policing, discrimination against women and people of color in police hiring, promotion, and retention, and the continuing problem of too many police officers themselves engaging in domestic violence discourages many women from ever reporting violence. What's more, too many women are being charged equally with their batterers for assault." She continued, "Most importantly, we need to increase funding for VAWA and survivor services like emergency housing, counseling, and legal assistance. "The work continues. But VAWA has laid the necessary groundwork for us to win."

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Vice President Biden continued to emphasize the criminal nature of violence against women in an interview with Tamron Hall about the indefinite suspension of NFL Ravens' running back Ray Rice. Biden, commenting that the NFL did the right thing, went on to address his frustration with the current conversation on intimate partner violence and sexual assault. "The one regret I have is we call it 'domestic violence,' as if it's a domesticated cat. It is the most vicious form of violence there is, because of not only the physical scars that are left, the psychological scars that are left," he said. "The next challenge is making sure we get college presidents and colleges to understand that they have a responsibility for the safety of women on their campus."

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http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?id=15200