Honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Support VAWA
October is Domestic Violence Awareness month; and one crucial step in helping protect against domestic and sexual violence is passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (H.R. 1620). Originally passed in 1994 VAWA established a framework to coordinate federal and community-based responses for victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
The most recent authorization for the Violence Against Women Act expired in 2019 and Congress has yet to pass a new one. Lapses in authorization are harmful because they create uncertainty for grant funding; making it so organizations that rely on funding from VAWA aren’t able to do long term planning. Additionally, each new reauthorization improves on the last version, ensuring that VAWA is more comprehensive and inclusive. The VAWA legislation pending in the Senate would result in expanded protections for Indigenous People and LGBTQ folks including:
Restoring tribal jurisdiction on crimes of dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking, and support tribal access to federal criminal databases,
Closing loopholes in domestic violence-related firearm laws to reduce domestic violence and dating violence homicides,
Including non-discrimination requirements to ensure access to VAWA protections for all survivors regardless of gender.
We know that during the COVID pandemic there has been an increase in domestic violence – making it even more critical for Congress to take strides to get VAWA passed immediately. We also know that gender-based violence happens all around the world and the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) calls for a commitment from the U.S. to ensure women and girls all over the world can be free from gender-based violence. This legislation needs to be introduced and passed in Congress as well.
Our faith tells us that each person bears the image of God and each person’s life is valuable. We are called to oppose violence and abuse and ensure the protection and safety of others. Our 14th General Synod spoke to this stating, “We must testify that any unnecessary suffering – particularly the physical or sexual abuse of any person – is a blasphemy before God and a grave injustice in our midst.”