The Violence Against Women Act Passes The House, Nearly Protecting Women And Kids

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has awesomely passed the Senate and is now on to the House! The bill, which has been of  hot debate this year, would renew grants for domestic violence prevention programs as well as survivor support programs and increased legal assistance to women and children.

Congresswoman Gwen Moore took the floor of the House not too long ago advocating for the bill, notably sharing her own story of sexual abuse as a child and stating “Violence against women is as American as apple pie.” Moore has since responded to the Senate saying that she “applaud[s]” her colleagues for coming together on a truly non-partisan issue, touting the bill’s effectiveness since its inception in 1994:

”I applaud my Senate colleagues for taking a bold stance for women by passing a bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill that contains provisions to strengthen our ability to combat not only domestic violence, but also sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking….VAWA programs and protections have reduced domestic violence by 60 percent since the date the law was enacted.”

Given how often domestic violence is celebrated or not even acknowledged in our culture, from the default Chris Brown reference to Hugh Hefner‘s son smacking around his lady friend, measures like these are essential to recognizing domestic abuse as a crime. And considering the drastic impact domestic abuse often has on a child’s development, federal assistance to victimized families could make all the difference.

(photo: bossip.com)