WASHINGTON, D.C. — NOW salutes Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) for introducing the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021(VAWA), which will fund critical programs that support survivors.
VAWA’s authorization expired in 2018, but the scourge of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other crime remains. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, one in five women has been the victim of rape or attempted rape. In the U.S. 43.6% of women (nearly 52.2 million) experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. What’s more, the number of domestic violence incidents in the U.S. increased by 8.1% after lockdown orders, according to an analysis by the National Commission On COVID-19 and Criminal Justice (NCCCJ).
Violence against women is not a partisan issue. In 2019, VAWA passed the House with 33 Republicans joining the Democratic majority.
Thousands of NOW members across the country will be calling on their representatives to support this urgently needed legislation by an even greater majority when it comes to a vote in the House next week. And we’ll be turning up the heat on the U.S. Senate to call for a bipartisan majority when VAWA comes to a vote there.
Women’s lives are at stake. Every day that this legislation is not enacted puts more women at risk. Prioritize survivors and pass H.R. 1620, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 now.