Last month, the House passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with bipartisan support. First passed in 1994, VAWA was enacted to ensure protection against domestic and sexual violence, and abuse. It established a federal framework to coordinate federal and community-based responses for victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. With each new authorization VAWA is improved to be more comprehensive and inclusive, resulting in expanded protections for Indigenous People and the LGBTQ community in the 2013 reauthorization.
The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 (H.R. 1620) maintains established protections, while also addressing key areas of improvement. It is important that the Senate pass VAWA with these vital improvements such as:
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.
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, “Believing in the goodness and equality of men and women in the created order, 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.”