On Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland asked Congress for over $35 billion in funding for the Justice Department, including $1 billion for the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW). The OVW assists state, local, territorial, and tribal programs in working to end gender-based violence. In addition to the $1 billion, $120 million is provided to […]
House Votes to Remove Arbitrary Timeline on the ERA and Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act
Today, the House of Representatives voted 222-204 to remove the arbitrary timeline on the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. “Today the United States House of Representatives voted that there is no time limit on equality,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. “Now it’s up to the Senate to agree and clear […]
“Anti-Feminist” Lawyer Allegedly Shoots Female Judge’s Family, Killing Her Son
Roy Den Hollander, a lawyer from George Washington University Law School, who described himself as an “anti-feminist” and someone who defends “men’s rights”, shot himself and is the primary suspect in the shooting of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas’ husband and son. The FBI has confirmed his death and the death of Salas’ son. When investigators […]
Only 33 House Republicans Support the Violence Against Women Act
The House passed the Violence Against Women Act yesterday in a 263-158 vote, with 33 Republicans voting for the bill, and 157 voting against the re-authorization. The current law only bars gun ownership for convicted abusers who are married to their victim, live with their victim, or have a child with their victim. A new […]
House to Vote on the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization
The House is set to vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act tomorrow. The law expired in February during the government shutdown. A new provision in the bill will prevent convicted stalkers or dating partners convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun. The current law only prevents those convicted of abuse and […]
Shannon Goessling Nominated to Head the Office of Violence Against Women
On March 5, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Shannon Lee Goessling, Trump’s pick to head the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) at the Department of Justice. Women’s rights and anti-violence activists have raised serious concerns over the nominee’s anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, anti-racial justice history, noting that combating intimate partner violence requires an intersectional perspective that understands the vulnerability of respective communities.
Violence Against Native American Women
Savanna’s Act, a bill that calls for the standardization of protocols for law enforcement agencies and for updating data for federal databases relevant to missing or murdered Native American women, was re-introduced to the floor on Monday by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. Savanna’s Act is named in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a pregnant Spirit Lake […]
Congresswomen Demand Action on Equal Rights Amendment
Congresswomen Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) took to the House floor yesterday to urge for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would grant constitutional protection from discrimination based on sex.
Obama Administration Issues New Rule to Strengthen Response to Campus Sexual Violence
After the Department of Education’s announcement of final rule on implementing changes last week, the Clery Act will now more effectively address and report campus violence.
Violence Against Women Act Turns 20
Passed in 1994, VAWA was the first piece of federal legislation to specifically address domestic violence and sexual assault as crimes and to provide federal funding to improve local response to violence against women, including training and resources for law enforcement and judges.
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Advocating for an Inclusive VAWA
by Amanda Reed, Communications Intern at the National Organization for Women On Feb. 12, the Senate passed an inclusive version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that would include provisions for previously-unprotected groups. Last week, the House revealed its own version of VAWA: a watered-down, non-inclusive bill that cuts out these protections. Sound familiar? […]
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Prioritizing Campus Safety
There is a crisis at colleges and universities across the nation. In just the first six weeks of 2013, a Huffington Post survey found 75 instances of sexual assaults reported on college campuses. This is outrageous, but we shouldn’t be surprised. A U.S. Department of Justice study found that around 28 percent of womenare targets […]
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Save #VAWA! Pass the Violence Against Women Act: A HERVotes Blog Carnival
by Eleanor Smeal, Feminist Majority Foundation and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, MomsRising.org UPDATE (2/28/2013): VICTORY! The House of Representatives decided to stand with students, Native Americans, immigrants, and the LGBT community and passed the Senate inclusive #VAWA in a vote 286-138! ———— At last the House will vote on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) today. The […]
HERvotes Blog Carnival: Reauthorize the Real VAWA – Reject “VAWA Lite”
By Kim Gandy, VP and General Counsel, Feminist Majority Foundation HERvotes is joining our voices together in a blog carnival urging passage of the “real” Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization — the bi-partisan bill that has already passed the Senate. The House has passed a version of VAWA reauthorization that some have called “VAWA […]
Vote Like Your Life Depends on It. Because It Does.
This Friday marks the 91st anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S. Yes, many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers lived in a time when they weren’t allowed to vote. And for African Americans, the right to vote didn’t truly come into full effect until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But now, armed with that […]
