Since its passage in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has effectively reduced domestic violence by calling greater general attention to issues of sexual assault, stalking, dating violence and domestic abuse.
“The act has been instrumental in preventing such violence preemptively due to its strict prosecution of perpetrators,” Eliza Shultz, President of the Hopkins Feminists, wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
The original act, which was introduced in 1994 by Vice President Joe Biden, has been reauthorized for nearly 20 years without conflict; however, when the Democratic Party first sought to add new provisions in 2012, the Republican-led House objected and prevented the act’s renewal.
“This opposition reveals that the House would rather all women lose the protection VAWA offers than include women who are Native American, LGBT or reside here illegally,” Suzy Yaster, President of the Johns Hopkins College Democrats, wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “Right now they are picking and choosing who should be protected, and in the meantime they are endangering all women by holding them hostage through this process.”
Recently however, on Feb. 12, the Senate voted 78 to 22 in favor of reauthorizing VAWA with added provisions to extend protection to Native American women, LGBT women and undocumented women.
These provisions would provide services such as shelters and legal help for victims regardless of sexual orientation or immigration status. Approximately a week later, the House of Representatives unveiled its own version of the VAWA bill, omitting the provisions implemented by the Senate.
As the reauthorization is still in its infancy, its repercussions on college campuses is yet unknown. But senior Nassira Bougrad, co-director of the Sexual Assault Response Unit (SARU) noted, in an email to The News-Letter, that if the government communicates that violence against women will not be tolerated through the reauthorization of VAWA, it will set an example for how cases of dating violence and sexual assault are addressed and punished on college campuses nationwide, including Hopkins.
“One of the most horrifying statistics from a National Institute of Justice report in 2000 indicates that between 20 and 25 percent of college age women will be victims of rape or attempted rape during their college career,” Bougrab wrote. “A recent project by the Center for Public Integrity reveals that students found responsible for sexual assaults on campus will often face little or no punishment from the school judicial systems,” Bougrab continued. “The lack of administrations holding their perpetrators responsible and dealing tough punishments like expulsion sends the public the message that sexual violence is tolerated within their community.”
Bougrab wrote that, at present, one of the main problems institutions face when it comes to dealing with violence against female undergraduates is that victims do not come forward.
“The issue of sexual violence on college campuses is often unacknowledged and afflicted by a culture of silence,” Bougrab wrote. “The reauthorization of VAWA could combat this silence.”
Yaster suggested the necessity of the administration to, in light of the reauthorization of VAWA, further develop disciplinary acts relating to sexual assault so that victims may feel more comfortable reporting cases of violence with the knowledge that a solid support system exists to address the issue.
“No woman should be abused and then experience the added shame of not being able to do anything about it,” Yaster wrote.
With cases of violence against women ever-present, the College Democrats consider the reauthorization of this act to be of utmost importance. Furthermore, they believe that the government’s passage of VAWA has the potential to impact women’s rights on a global scale.
“Violence against women is a global epidemic,” Yaster said. “It is projected that one in every three women worldwide will be raped, beaten or assaulted in her lifetime. Clearly, the demand for more protective legislation is very real.”
If the federal government reauthorizes VAWA and continues to add new protections and safeguards for women, the College Democrats believe that the U.S. will be setting a global standard regarding human rights.
“We will be showing the world that violence against women is not acceptable and that we will do everything in our power to stop it,” Leah Barresi, executive board member of the College Democrats, wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “We could be the catalyst for new legislature around the world.”
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