I’ll never forget the day she came
up to me in Old Cabell Hall, her normally expressive brown eyes suddenly dull
and…empty. She was given a date rape drug by a casual acquaintance, Sarah*
recounted, and suddenly her whole life was turned upside down. I couldn’t
believe it. Sarah went on to press charges against the perpetrator, but a lack
of evidence let him go, scot-free. After that, I became extremely curious—one might
say obsessed—with learning about the state and federal regulations put in place
for rape victims. And that’s how I discovered about the landmark Violence
Against Women Act (VAWA).
The
Violence Against Women Act was first signed into law in 1994, drafted by
Senator Joe Biden and passed through with bipartisan support. VAWA provides
important protections to women. It provides states with more funding for the
investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, and established
the Office on Violence Against Women. VAWA has been reauthorized with
bipartisan support every year since its passing in 1994—except for 2012.
The
proposed amendments in the 2013 bill added new provisions to protect same-sex
victims as well as Native American women from domestic violence. Domestic
violence rates are particularly high on reservations, and Indian women often
face a legal limbo in which their local courts hold no authority over their
non-Native American abusers, but local law enforcement officials are unable to
exert much control on tribal lands. The new bill passed in the Senate, but was
held up in the House, as many House Republicans opposed the proposed revisions
to the bill.
I applauded
President Obama’s statement during his State of the Union Address, short as it
was, urging the House pass through VAWA and moving forward to keep women’s
lives free from domestic violence. Soon afterwards, the House passed the VAWA
with the existing provisions attached.
We still
have a long ways to go in our fight against sexual discrimination, harassment,
and rape. As many strides as VAWA has helped make, thousands of victims
continue to remain silent every day. Even more discouraging, many victims like
Sarah, who actually press charges, see their cases dropped because of “inadequate
evidence.” Let’s move forward, please, beyond political promises and banter,
beyond simply legislative change. As important as VAWA is, it is only one step
forward in this fight. We need more people to step forward, more organizations
to actually adopt this change, and eventually, a cultural shift in the
attitudes towards women. Please join me in this fight to really protect
Violence Against Women.
*Name changed to protect anonymity
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