From the desk of Ruth M. Glenn, President/CEO of the

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV)

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and it is time for the Senate to introduce and pass a strong VAWA reauthorization that meets the needs of survivors!

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Tomorrow, October 5, the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on VAWA! Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco will be testifying before the Committee about VAWA’s successes and the importance of reauthorizing this critical legislation.

VAWA is one of the main pillars of the Federal government’s response to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. First passed in 1994, it has been reauthorized three times since then, each time with critical enhancements. VAWA’s authorization lapsed in 2018, and it is past time to reauthorize VAWA, once again, with targeted updates to protect survivors, with a focus on Communities of Color, Tribes, and LGBTQ survivors, to ensure they have access to vital services and to prevent future violence. H.R.1620, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021, passed the House of Representatives in March with strong bipartisan support. A summary of H.R.1620 can be found here.

Throughout the month of October, the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence will be calling on our allies in the gender-based violence field and beyond to push the Senate to introduce and pass a strong, bipartisan VAWA reauthorization bill that is substantially similar to H.R.1620 and that meets the needs of survivors. We are currently working with Senators Durbin, Ernst, and Feinstein to finalize such a bill. This hearing is an important first step.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Watch the hearing online here and tweet along using the hashtag #VAWA4All.

And please be ready to take action in the weeks to come!