Support the VAWA

Written By Deb Soule

A Senate vote is coming up on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and its accompanying amendment, the SHIELD Act. The House voted to pass the Act in March 2021.

  • The VAWA creates and supports strengthened protections for women against domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.

  • The SHIELD Act amendment will criminalize tech-based sexual abuse and violence, which has worsened over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 reflects the input and many of the priorities of the domestic and sexual assault movement. The bill takes a holistic approach, addressing the complex realities of survivors’ lives. It maintains established protections, while also addressing persistent gaps. Highlights include:

  • funding, including a new $40 million authorization for the Culturally Specific Services Program;

  • avenues to justice that focus on victim autonomy, agency, and safety, including restorative justice practices, investments in responses beyond a criminal system approach, and expanded access to VAWA-funded legal services for survivors;

  • housing protections that allow survivors in federally-assisted housing to relocate to new, safe housing with victim relocation vouchers; maintain housing after a perpetrator leaves; or terminate a lease early;

  • restoration of tribal jurisdiction that allows tribes to hold non-native perpetrators of sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, elder abuse, assault against law enforcement officers, and trafficking accountable when they commit crimes on native lands;

  • investment in prevention via the Rape Prevention and Education Program and VAWA Department of Justice prevention programs;

  • closure of dangerous legal loopholes in existing federal domestic violence-related firearms laws that will help reduce domestic violence and dating violence homicides;

  • economic justice responses that help survivors access unemployment insurance and help to clarify what constitutes economic abuse; and

  • VAWA non-discrimination requirements guarantee equal access to VAWA protections for all survivors regardless of gender.

The bill, however, does not include vital provisions for immigrant survivors. Immigrant survivors continue to face abuse and must be able to access VAWA protections and obtain desperately needed U Visas. The final bill must address these concerns.

Please consider calling your senators to ask that they support the VAWA reauthorization and the SHIELD Act.

(Source: The National Network to End Domestic Violence, NNEDV)

Deb Soule