In the long catalog of human sins, rape and domestic violence are among the most despised and feared; also among the oldest, most common and most frequently committed with complete impunity. Throughout history, perpetrators of these abhorrent acts have degraded and denied their victims’ inalienable rights to life, liberty, security and dignity, but aggressive efforts to combat these crimes and holistically address the needs of victims only date to the last two decades.
A years-long grassroots campaign by domestic violence advocates, sexual assault advocates, professionals, law enforcement, prosecutors and the courts, culminated in the 1994 passage of the landmark Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”). VAWA has been remarkably effective in addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. Among its many functions, VAWA: (i) funds services to protect adult and teen victims; (ii) annually funds domestic violence training for 500,000 law enforcement and legal officers; (iii) supports community-based victim advocacy programs which have dramatically increased the survival chances of victims; and (iv) promotes a coordinated community response to such crimes, which did not previously exist. Since 1994, VAWA has been instrumental in achieving a 60% reduction in violence against adult women, a 34% reduction in the number of female intimate partner deaths, and a 57% reduction in the number of male intimate partner deaths. Though its documented, concrete successes – human lives preserved and human dignity recovered — are more than sufficient justification for VAWA’s expenditures, VAWA also serves our fiscal interests as it is credited with saving American taxpayers billions annually in net averted social costs.
Congress enacted VAWA with bi-partisan support in 1994, and renewed it with bi-partisan support in 2000 and 2005. In 2012, despite bi-partisan Senate passage, the House failed to reauthorize VAWA and the law lapsed. Unless reauthorized, many of the programs supported by VAWA could fall victim to budget cuts at all levels of government. Futures Without Violence, a victim advocacy organization, estimates that up to 200,000 current violence victims could lose services if the law is not renewed; that figure doesn’t include new victims who might never be served. Early this month, a bi-partisan Senate majority once again passed a bill to reauthorize VAWA. The Senate bill enhances the most effective elements of the law, extends VAWA’s protections to members of same-sex couples, illegal immigrants and Native Americans, and includes measures to reduce the disgraceful national backlog of untested rape kits and to prevent sexual violence on college campuses. Despite VAWA’s proven success, bi-partisan Senate approval, and over 200 co-sponsors for an identical House bill, the GOP House leadership has not committed to bring the bill to a vote.
Domestic and sexual violence victims deserve a vote. Prior to VAWA, rape victims were commonly required to pay for rape kits, domestic violence victims were routinely required to pay to have court-issued protection orders enforced, and domestic violence was over twice as prevalent as it is today. It is morally imperative that VAWA be reauthorized.
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The Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee supplies this column