WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Organization for Women (NOW) joins the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) in applauding Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for introducing the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022. This important bill reflects a bipartisan consensus that the government needs to do more to prevent and to respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The bill addresses the many needs identified during extensive engagement with the domestic violence and sexual assault fields. A summary of the Senate bill can be found here.
Reauthorization of VAWA is long overdue. Our society has deeply rooted structural issues that have perpetuated a culture of misogyny, gender bias and violence against women. Women of color and those in the LGBTQIA+ communities face disproportionate impacts of violence, particularly domestic violence which has been on the rise throughout the pandemic. We urgently need to pass VAWA so we can support and protect survivors, and ensure they have access to the resources they need.
The House of Representatives passed their version of this bill, led by Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), last March. NOW encourages the Senate to swiftly pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022 and send it to the House for a vote.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.